Volunteer Recruitment

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust proudly offers both patient facing and non-patient facing volunteering opportunities. All vacancies are advertised on the NHS Jobs website and are subject to relevant recruitment / HR checks.

If you are unable to find a current recruitment campaign for the role you are interested in we welcome you to register interest here: Volunteer Expression of Interest. We will contact you when the next recruitment campaign starts in your selected area for the roles selected.

(Personal details will be stored from this survey for 12 months and then removed)

 

Community First Responder Recruitment

Thank you for thinking about becoming a SWAST Community First Responder.   Our planned advert dates and interview and course dates and locations are shown below.  We expect to be able to stick to these, but they may be subject to some change due to the nature of our operation.  Adverts are posted on the NHS jobs website and these will contain the confirmed dates.

Our aim is for successful candidates to be ready to volunteer for us within 12 weeks of a successful interview.  Sometimes this can take a little longer for example, if an applicant is unable to provide the necessary documents or there are delays in DBS processing.  But if there are hold ups, we will work with you, to get them resolved.

We want to make the whole of the South West a safer place to live. To achieve this, recruitment areas are under constant review and will be updated on each campaign. This helps ensure we meet the needs of the communities across the South West.

County

Target Areas

Advert Open

Advert Close

Interview Dates

Interview Location

Proposed Training Dates

Training Location

Dorset

Swanage

Cranborne

Beaminster

Lyme Regis and Bridport

26/08/2025

01/10/2025

WC 20th October St Leonards Training College

 

22/23 Nov and 5/6/7 December 

  St Leonards Training College

Cornwall

Polperro, Looe, Fowey, Launceston, Par, Padstow, Bude, St Ives, Camelford, Newquay, St Austell, Helston, Liskeard, Delabole, Bodmin, Wadebridge, Penzance, Lifton.

19/09/2025

16/11/2025

03-07 and 18-19 November 2025

Bodmin/Redruth

24-25 January 2026, 6-8 and 21 February 2026

Roche

Bristol and Somerset

TBC

29/09/2025

19/11/2025

TBC

 

TBC

 

North and East Devon

Axminster, Beaworthy, Braunton, Chagford, Cheriton Fitzpaine, Chulmleigh, Combe Martin, Crediton, Cullumpton, Culmstock, Hartland, Hatherleigh, High Bickington, Holsworthy, Honiton, Ilfracombe, Lynmouth, Lynton, Moretonhampstead, North Molton, Okehampton, Ottery St Mary, Seaton, Shebbar, Sidmouth, South Molton, Tedburn St Mary, Torrington, Uffculme, Winkliegh, Witheridge, Woolacombe, Yelland

24/11/2026

14/01/2026

WC 05/01/2025, WC 26/01/2026

Various Across NE Devon  

28/02/2026 - 01/03/2026, 07/03/2026 + 08/03/2026, 28/03/2026 + 29/03/2026

North Devon

South and West Devon

TBC

24/11/2026

14/01/2026

TBC

 

TBC

 

Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire

TBC

24/11/2026

14/01/2026

TBC

 

TBC

 

Volunteer Recruitment

 

Who can I talk to?

If you would like any additional information please contact the Volunteering and Community Services Officer for the county that you would like to volunteer in.

 

Role Descriptions

Community First Responder

Ambulance Service Volunteer