Are you looking for a new challenge for 2016? Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) has opportunities for volunteers with both their Community First Responder and Volunteer Car Service schemes.
Community First Responders (CFRs) are volunteers who provide immediate life-saving care to members of their local communities in an emergency medical situation, such as heart attack, breathing difficulties or a collapse, in the vital minutes before the ambulance arrives.
They are trained in Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) which delivers a controlled electric shock to restart the heart. CFRs also carry portable oxygen.
Jill Atkinson, from Batley, has been a Community First Responder for nearly three years. She said, “I joined as a CFR for YAS as I felt I needed to put something back into my community. I get great fulfilment from knowing that when I attend calls, whether I am providing care to the patient or help and reassurance to their relatives, that I am making a difference in what can potentially be a very distressing situation.
“I would recommend volunteering as a CFR to anyone; you don’t need to be from a medical background or have any previous experience. The training is amazing and you are always supported. The satisfaction of helping others is a reward in itself.”
The Volunteer Car Service (VCS) covered over one million miles last year, helping patients to reach vital hospital appointments across the region. Volunteers come from all walks of life and give their time as and when they can to drive patients to important outpatient appointments, supporting the Trust’s non-emergency Patient Transport Service.
Geoff Haywood, Volunteer Car Service Driver at YAS said about his experience: “This job is about caring and consideration for people who need our help in getting to hospital appointments wherever they may be. I remember taking a two-year-old and his mother to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. My car was fully loaded with all their luggage for a two-week stay. The child was being admitted for his sixth operation in two years.
“This is just one journey out of hundreds, most of which are within Yorkshire. Being a volunteer gives more job satisfaction than anything else I have known.”
To volunteer with YAS you need:
• To be aged 18 or over.
• Hold a valid, full UK driving licence.
• Be prepared to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
For more information please visit
www.yas.nhs.uk/OurServices/Volunteering
or tel 0845 124 1241.
