North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS), is looking to expand its team of Community First Responders (CFR) volunteering their time across the North East, supporting patients within their own communities whilst emergency ambulance crews are travelling to the patient.

At present applications are invited from individuals who live in the following areas only:

Newbiggin-Ashington, Bishop Auckland South, Ferryhill East, Cornforth, Thorntree, North Ormesby & Brambles, Pallion North, Lakeside & Farrington, Shotton & Haswell, Hendon & Docks, Southwick, Walker, Blackhall, Peterlee East Hendon

CFRs are deployed to incidents within their community, at the same time as an ambulance is dispatched, to provide vital life-saving care and support, or simply a reassuring face, in the crucial minutes between a 999 call being made and the arrival of the crew.

To become a CFR you must be able to attend and complete the training course delivered over five consecutive days.

Main duties of the job

Community First Responders will generally be asked to respond to emergency calls within their local area, to attend a medical incident.

They are dispatched at the same time as an ambulance but may arrive first as they are nearer, and can provide early interventions in those crucial first minutes of an emergency. They will deal with a specific list of emergencies, providing care and support to both the patient and their family.

CFR's will be asked to attend medical emergencies such as heart attack, stroke, breathing difficulties, and cardiac arrests, (where someone's heart has stopped beating).

Responders operate across the whole of the North East in both rural and urban areas, and are a crucial part of the Chain of Survival.

About us

We employ 3,500 staff in 63 locations and serve a population of 2,600,000 in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, County Durham, and Tees over 3230 square miles.

Many people think the job of the ambulance service is to collect patients and take them to hospital, but we do much more!

Paramedic skills have developed hugely in recent years, meaning we carry out more treatment at the scene and en-route to hospital.

We have a dedicated clinical assessment service that allows us to provide patients with the most appropriate care from the beginning of the patient journey.

We have a specialised branch of the Trust called HART which deal with explosions or terrorist attacks.

Ultimately patients are the heart of everything that we do to support our mission of safe, effective and responsive care for all.

We value and respect the diversity employees bring to our workplace. We recruit a workforce that reflects the community we serve, and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. To ensure we deliver on our aims in relation to diversity and inclusion we assess ourselves against a range of frameworks. We are ENEI Gold employer, Disability Confident Leader, Dyslexia Smart Award employer, Dementia Friendly, and part of Mind Blue Light programme and the Race at Work Charter from the Princes Responsible Business Network and are achieving across all objectives in NHS Equality Delivery System.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please ensure you refer to the job description attached for full details of duties and responsibilities, this will assist in completion of your application and understanding of the role.

Person Specification

Experience

Desirable

• Previous experience of working as a volunteer within a patient care setting.
• First Aid Qualification and experience

Additional Requirements

Essential

• Ability to compete the mandatory training programme over 5 consecutive days.
• Hold a full driving licence.
• Have own vehicle with tax, MOT and insured to respond as a NEAS volunteer.
• Confirm that you live within the specified locations, Redcar, Seaham, Shotton Colliery, Walker, Newbiggin by the Sea, Blakelaw, Ingleby Barwick, Cornforth/Ferryhill/Tursdale

Qualifications

Essential

• Good level of literacy and numeracy skills to enable satisfactory completion of patient records

Employer details

Employer name

North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Ambulance HQ, Bernicia House

Goldcrest Way, Newburn Riverside

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE15 8NY

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

C9340-CFR-05-23