Welsh Ambulance Service celebrates International Volunteer Day 2024
05.12.24
THE Welsh Ambulance Service is paying tribute to its volunteers for International Volunteer Day.
International Volunteer Day is the annual celebration of the contribution that millions of people across the globe make through volunteering.
More than 600 volunteers give up their time to support the ambulance service in Wales, including Community First Responders, Volunteer Car Service Drivers and Community Welfare Responders.
Among them is Chris Curtis, 53, of Newport, a Community Welfare Responder (CWR) who has been trained to attend appropriate 999 calls in his community.
CWRs take an initial set of observations from the patient, including blood pressure and oxygen levels, and report back to clinicians in the ambulance control room, who determine the appropriate next steps.
That might be sending an ambulance, self-care advice, a signpost to the patient’s GP or something else.
The CWR role was created to support the Trust’s ambition to deliver the right care or advice, in the right place, every time.
Chris, a general manager for GXO Logistics, said: “My volunteering journey started after I lost my dad in 2020 because I wanted to turn my grief into something meaningful.
“I needed something practical that fit into my work-life balance and something a little different.
“The CWR role popped up on social media and I thought it was perfect.
“It’s not only a stepping stone into the Trust, into volunteering, but I’ve been to multiple calls now where I’ve made a real difference to patients in the community.
“There have been occasions where our ‘eyes on’ observations, coupled with a remote assessment by a control room clinician, have enabled an ambulance to be stood down and re-directed to other patients in need.
“On the flip side, there have been occasions where a patient has required an ambulance urgently and we’ve helped to facilitate that.”
The father-of-two added: “I’m really enjoying it, to the point where my friends and family have even pointed it out.
“The training team are fantastic and the CWR team in Newport work seamlessly together, so it’s a lovely environment to be in.
“Volunteering is a two-way thing – yes, you offer your services, but you also get something very rewarding out of it.
“When I’m volunteering for WAST, I think of nothing else but what I’m doing in that moment and how I’m helping someone in their hour of need.
“It’s actually given me a better work-life balance as it’s outside of my comfort zone, so I switch off from my day job and focus on my volunteering.
“My managers at GXO are really supportive and my youngest child is also looking at a career in health and social care, so might start volunteering with the ambulance service in a couple of years too.”
Meanwhile, Community First Responders attend 999 calls in their community and administer first aid in the precious first minutes before an ambulance arrives.
They are trained by the Welsh Ambulance Service to administer first aid, including oxygen therapy and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as well as the use of a defibrillator.
Last year, in a UK NHS ambulance service first, they were also trained to administer Methoxyflurane, or Penthrox, a fast-acting drug used to reduce pain in patients with a traumatic injury like a fracture, dislocation, severe laceration or burns.
The Volunteer Car Service Drivers use their own vehicles to transport people to and from routine hospital appointments, including dialysis, oncology and outpatient appointments.
Last year, they made 41,599 journeys across Wales and covered almost one and a half million miles in their own vehicles.
Since March, they have completed more than 2,500 oncology journeys as part of a new initiative where cancer patients are paired with specific VCS Drivers for the period of their treatment, a programme that is being rolled out across Wales.
Meanwhile, the Wish Ambulance Service – which was launched in 2019 to enable people approaching the end of life to have a meaningful last journey – has undertaken over 75 journeys, thanks to clinicians across the Trust who volunteer in their free time to support the service.
At November’s WAST Awards, George Lawrance, of Neath, won the Volunteer Car Service Driver of the Year Award while volunteers in Fairbourne took home the Community Responder Team of the Year Award.
Ben James, of Tenby, won the Community Responder of the Year Award, for giving up 1,000 hours of his free time to help people in his community.
Lee Brooks, the Trust’s Executive Director of Operations, said: “The one thing all of our volunteers have in common is their commitment to putting others before themselves to ensure the communities of Wales have someone they can depend on in times of need.
“International Volunteers Day is a perfect opportunity to highlight the work they do, the amount of time and energy they give to support us and to publicly thank them for their ongoing commitment to keeping patients safe.”
Editor’s Notes
For more information, please email Communications Officer Beth.Eales@wales.nhs.uk