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.
Rules for ambulance crews differ by country and by employer, so the useful question is not “what is required” but “what has this crew completed”. Ask the provider to answer that before you agree to a trip.
This is a general guide to how crew training is usually built. It does not describe any one provider’s crew. When you book our ICU ambulance or any other service, the dispatcher tells you who travels with the patient before you agree.
The usual levels of training
- First aid and CPR. The base. Chest compressions, rescue breaths, bleeding control. Often renewed every one to two years.
- Basic life support (BLS). Patient assessment, oxygen, an automated defibrillator (AED), splinting, safe moving and handover to the hospital.
- Advanced life support (ALS). Paramedic level. Drips and medicines, airway support, heart rhythm reading and treatment. It takes the longest and builds on BLS.
- Trauma courses. Road accidents and falls: spinal care, severe bleeding, shock.
- Newborn and child transport. Babies are not small adults. Their equipment, doses and warmth needs differ. See the NICU ambulance guide.
- Driving. Emergency driving is its own skill: patient comfort, junctions, traffic.
What matters more than the certificate
A certificate shows a course was passed. It does not show how someone acts at 3 a.m. with a frightened family. Look for:
- Recent training. Skills fade. Ask when the crew last renewed.
- Hands-on hours with real patients, under supervision.
- Calm communication. The crew should tell you what they are doing and why.
- A doctor on call for transfers that need one.
Questions to ask before you book
- Who travels with the patient: a driver only, or a trained attendant?
- What training has that person completed, and when?
- Does the crew match the patient’s need, for example a newborn or a heart patient?
- Can a family member ride along?
If the answer is vague, ask again or call another provider.
For families booking a hospital transfer
Tell the dispatcher what the treating doctor said the patient needs on the way. We match the vehicle to that. Equipment is covered in what ambulance crews carry. For a heart patient, see what a cardiac ambulance carries.
Call 01919-339689 any time. A dispatcher answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
