NHS England figures, published for National Volunteers Week, show that 71,828 people volunteered in NHS trusts in the last year, donating more than 6.4 million hours of their time.

London had the most volunteers at 14,072, followed by 13,685 in the Midlands, and 10,026 in the Northeast and Yorkshire.

Duncan Burton, chief nursing officer for England, said: ‘This Volunteers' Week, we want to say a huge thank you to every one of our 70,000 volunteers who make such a valuable contribution to the NHS and its patients.

‘There are so many different volunteering roles that people can take part in whether they're old or young which can help you learn new skills, meet people, and even give you a taste of what it would be like to join our fantastic workforce.'