Ambulance Person

Ambulance staff provide emergency and non-emergency care for ill and vulnerable patients, and transport them to and from their homes, hospitals and other medical facilities.

There are four main types of ambulance crew:

• Paramedics are the most highly trained ambulance staff. (The Paramedic profile has details.)
• Emergency care assistants (ECAs) help paramedics or ambulance technicians to give patients the urgent care they need.
• Ambulance care assistants (ACAs) carry out non-emergency journeys.
• Ambulance technicians, like ECAs, respond to emergency calls. (While ambulance service trusts still employ ambulance technicians, it is no longer possible to enter this role as a new recruit.)

NHS ambulance service staff work a 37.5-hour week. ECAs work shifts, including nights, weekends and public holidays. ACAs can work Monday to Friday between 9.00am and 5.00pm, or shifts.

Salaries range from between £13,233 and £18,157 a year in the NHS.

An ambulance person should be:

• responsible and caring
• quick thinking and decisive
• cool under pressure
• excellent communicators
• patient and reassuring
• confident drivers
• interested in healthcare and helping people.

Most ambulance staff are employed by the 12 local NHS ambulance trusts in England. A few work for private ambulance services and the armed forces.

Entry requirements vary between trusts. They tend to be similar for both ECAs and ACAs. Some trusts ask for at least three or four GCSEs (A*-C), or equivalent qualifications. The Diploma in society, health and development may be relevant. Applicants typically need a full manual driving licence and at least a year's driving experience. They would usually undergo a medical examination, selection tests and a check through the Criminal Records Bureau.

ECAs have a six- to nine-week training course. ACAs and PTS drivers undertake a training course lasting between two and three weeks. Training includes assessment and written exams. Successful candidates are then attached to an ambulance station, working under supervision for a probationary period.

ACAs and PTS drivers can undertake further training to become an ECA. Experienced ambulance people can apply to train as a paramedic. They may also move into other operational ambulance service roles.

Further details