Health service signs four-year contract for charity to act as ‘ambulance auxiliary service’ in attempt to bring down waiting times
Volunteer ambulance crews will respond to 999 calls as part of efforts to tackle a growing crisis in emergency care.
The NHS has signed a four-year contract with St John Ambulance for the charity to act as an official “ambulance auxiliary service” in England.
A fleet of 250 St John Ambulances, staffed by a mixture of paid employees and volunteers, will work with England’s 10 NHS ambulance trusts in a bid to bring down waiting times.
Volunteers and staff will hold a variety of roles including driving ambulances, assessing patients, managing medical emergencies and traumatic injuries.
It comes amid growing concern about long waits for ambulances, with many vehicles stuck outside hospitals for hours.
Heart attack and stroke patients now wait an average 51 minutes for an ambulance in England, against a target of 18 minutes for these “category two” calls.
Steve Barclay, the Health Secretary, has held meetings with ambulance chiefs and health officials and sought to monitor live data amid concern that pressures this summer are worse than some winters.
The four-year contract, which starts this week, formalises the role of the charity, which has already supported the NHS through the heatwave and the Covid pandemic.
The £30 million deal will involve St John Ambulance providing more than 400 12-hour shifts to England’s 10 NHS ambulance trusts each month. The charity, founded in 1877, provides first aid cover at 22,000 events each year.
NHS chiefs said the first-ever ambulance auxiliary service had been launched to “boost capacity ahead of what is set to be another difficult winter”.
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, the national medical director of NHS England, said ambulances were under “significant pressures”, with a record number of 999 callouts in June.
He said: “The new Ambulance Auxiliary Service helps to build on the vital role played by St John Ambulance since the formation of the health service and will complement existing services, with the support of around 800 emergency ambulance crew members and 250 ambulances.
“This new agreement with one of our longest partners is a welcome addition as the NHS does everything it can to boost capacity ahead of what is set to be another difficult winter.”
St John Ambulance crew member volunteers undergo a training programme that takes six months, with some sessions delivered virtually. This compares with a three-year degree for NHS paramedics.
Richard Lee, the St John Ambulance deputy chief executive and chief operating officer, said: “St John has always supported the health service through emergency ambulance provision during peak periods and seasonal demands, but this new contract gives the vital relationship between our charity and NHS England firm foundations for the future.
“Now we can continue to deliver the excellent patient care St John ambulance crews and other St John people have delivered during Covid-19 – where we have stepped up and provided 1.6 million hours of support to communities – including ensuring our highly-trained emergency ambulance crews and vehicles are always here for the NHS and your community in times of greatest need.”
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