Ambulance Service celebrates everyday heroes for Volunteers’ Week | News

The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) is proudly celebrating the everyday heroes behind its volunteer network during this year's Volunteers' Week (2-8 June) and recognising the exceptional impact they make in communities across the South West.

From responding to 999 calls and delivering patient care, to supporting hospital handovers and teaching lifesaving skills, SWASFT volunteers are an integral part of its mission to deliver the best care when it's needed most.

Essential support for emergency care

SWASFT typically deals with around 2,650 incidents a day and serves a resident population of over 5.5 million people with an estimated annual influx of more than 23 million tourists.

Supporting the service are over 600 Community First Responders (CFRs) - trained volunteers who provide the first crucial steps in the chain of survival: early recognition, high-quality CPR, and early defibrillation. In the last financial year, CFRs responded to over 29,000 incidents, a 42% increase on the previous year. Almost 7,500 of these were Category 1 emergencies, the most life-threatening incidents, with CFRs typically delivering care for around seven minutes before ambulance crews arrived on scene.

Dedicated support from across the region

In addition to CFRs, SWASFT is supported by a diverse and growing network of volunteers:

• 37 BASICS doctors who attended 810 emergencies in 2024/2025 - 88% were the most critical Category 1 incidents. These specialist clinicians offer advanced support at the most complex scenes, including trauma and multi-casualty incidents.

 

• Over 2,000 GoodSAM responders trained in CPR and verified by SWASFT, ready to be dispatched via app to nearby cardiac arrests. From 2nd June 2025, trained members of the public registered with GoodSAM will also begin receiving alerts to help save lives within a 500m radius.

 

• Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officer (HALO) Volunteers, who help smooth the handover process between ambulance crews and hospital teams - currently based at selected hospitals.

 

• A small number of Welfare Call Volunteers are also trained to provide support to the SWASFTs Emergency Operations Centre during periods of extreme demand, checking in on patients waiting for an ambulance.

 

Defibrillator access and lifesaving education

With the help of its volunteer network, SWASFT continues to lead on improving access to defibrillators and CPR education in the region.

• Nearly 12,000 public access defibrillators are now registered across the South West on The Circuit - the national defib network.

 

• Since September 2024, over 700 school-based defibrillators have been added to the network thanks to direct engagement by the Trust.

 

• A new Community Ambassador volunteer role is launching later this year to provide CPR and defibrillator training in harder-to-reach communities, supported by funding from the South Western Ambulance Charity.

 

Jane Whichello, Head of Volunteering and Community Services, at the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Volunteers' Week is an opportunity for all of us to publicly recognise the value of our volunteers and the difference they make to people's lives and their communities.  Our fantastic network of volunteers make a difference every day to patients across the South West and we know that there are people walking around today who would not be here if it were not for these everyday heroes.'

Our volunteers play such an important role in the service we provide to patients, and I thank every one of them for their support.  With our team of volunteers at our side, SWASFT can continue to deliver the very best care possible for patients when they need us.

Volunteering is a great opportunity to meet new people and learn valuable lifesaving skills through the training and ongoing support from the SWASFT dedicated volunteering support team. If you would like to learn more about how you can make a difference, why not visit our website and socials to find out more."

CFRs are now equipped with emergency medicines across the South West and supported by seven liveried Community Response Vehicles, which alone responded to over 3,300 patients last year. With the support of the South Western Ambulance Charity, fundraising is underway to expand the fleet further. To find out more and donate to the appeal, visit: South Western Ambulance Charity | Community Response Vehicle Appeal

Meet some of SWASFT's incredible volunteers

• Scott Tremayne, from Bude, Cornwall, has volunteered as a Community First Responder since 2019, responding to emergencies in his local area and helping his community when it matters most.
  Scott's training proved truly life-saving on New Year's Eve 2023, when one of his best friends, Steve- also his boss - collapsed at home after suffering a cardiac arrest. Thanks to Scott's swift response and the lifesaving skills he learned as a CFR, Steve survived.

Scott said: That day brought home exactly why I volunteer. You never expect to need your training for someone you know and care about, but when it happened, I knew what to do - and that made all the difference. It's something I'll never forget.

• Jude Patrick Saunders from Newton Abbot, joined SWASFT as a volunteer in 2021 and now supports the Trust's Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officers (HALOs) with hospital handovers as a HALO Helping Hand  Jude is using the experience as a stepping stone towards becoming a CFR.

 

• Michael Dearden from Culmstock in Devon is the second oldest CFR in the country (at 86 years of age) and has given 16 years of dedicated volunteering service responding to 999 emergency calls in his local community, for up to 12 hours a week. Michael joined SWASFT with basic first aid training having been a first aider for many years at work, including his time in the Royal Naval Submarine Service. Michael received further training in Advanced First Aid and Emergency Life Support at SWASFT - all skills which are continually updated for CFRs.

 

• Bob Salway, from Cheddar, Somerset, has been a CFR for two years. A retired mechanical engineer and former on-call firefighter, Bob has lived in Cheddar for over 60 years.

Bob said: I've had many good outcomes with patients I have helped, but one that stands out was being recognised in a shop by someone whose husband I helped during a cardiac arrest. They said, You were part of the team that helped save my husband's life - you're amazing. That felt wonderful. That's why I volunteer - to reassure, to hold a hand, to prevent a drama becoming a crisis.

• Dr Andy Smith, from Tiverton, is a GP and former SWASFT Medical Director. He volunteers for BASICS Devon, responds to critical incidents across Mid and East Devon, and also supports the Trust as a clinician in the Emergency Operations Centre. He also lectures at Exeter Medical School and mentors other doctors. 
   

To find out about volunteering roles at the Trust and to express an interest, please visit - Volunteer Recruitment