This guide describes ambulances in general. What the ambulance for your trip carries, and who travels with the patient, is confirmed by our dispatcher before you book.
An ambulance carries equipment for five jobs: checking the patient, helping them breathe, stopping bleeding, moving them safely and keeping the hospital informed. What is on board depends on the type of vehicle and the crew.
This is a general guide, not a list of our fleet. When you book, the dispatcher tells you what the ambulance for your patient carries. See our ICU ambulance service for transfers that need more than a basic vehicle.
1. Checking the patient
- Pulse oximeter. A clip on the finger that shows blood oxygen and pulse.
- Blood pressure monitor and thermometer.
- Glucometer. A quick blood sugar check, important when someone is confused or unconscious.
- ECG monitor. Reads the heart’s rhythm. More on cardiac equipment.
- Stethoscope.
2. Breathing
- Oxygen cylinder with masks and tubing
- Suction unit to clear the airway
- Bag-valve-mask to breathe for a patient who cannot
- Airway adjuncts in several sizes
3. The heart
- Defibrillator. Delivers a shock for a dangerous rhythm. An automated version (AED) can be used with simple prompts.
4. Injury and bleeding
- Dressings and bandages
- Tourniquet for severe limb bleeding
- Splints for fractures
- Cervical collar for suspected neck injury
5. Moving the patient
- Stretcher that locks safely in the vehicle
- Spine board or scoop stretcher for injured patients
- Straps and blankets
Basic ambulance and ICU ambulance
A basic ambulance carries the items above in simpler form. An ICU ambulance adds more monitoring, a ventilator or drip pumps, and a crew trained to run them. Doctors advise which a patient needs. Ask the treating doctor, then tell us. We match the vehicle.
Children and newborns
Equipment must be sized for the patient: small masks, small collars, and for newborns a way to keep warm. See NICU ambulance equipment.
Equipment is not the whole answer
Equipment helps only if someone trained uses it. Ask who travels with the patient. Our crew training guide lists what to ask.
Call 01919-339689 any time. A dispatcher answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
