East Midlands Ambulance Service secures over half a million pounds for volunteer schemes and vehicles

An NHS Charities Together grant of £509,000 and NHS England grant of £98,000 will be used to fund a number of different projects at EMAS as part of its community response volunteer strategy.

The community response team can now establish eight new community first responder schemes in underserved areas in the East Midlands, provide 10, new, fully electric, multi-capability CFR cars, introduce 126 new community public access defibrillators, predominantly in rural communities, as well as ensuring all EMAS buildings and ambulance stations have a public access defibrillator on site.

It will also equip a volunteer doctor critical care car for the East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme, to provide an enhanced critical care response to patients requiring support across the East Midlands.

Using the funds from NHS England, the team will also establish 48 new CFR dispatch points, including the issue of 48 responder kits complete with response bags, full medical equipment, defibrillator, and observations/diagnostics equipment, amd introduce a community resilience volunteer trainer.

Michael Barnett-Connolly, EMAS head of community response, said: “We are so pleased to have secured this funding which will enable us to do even more in the communities we serve.

"Our volunteers make a huge and valued contribution at EMAS and this work will make a difference to the lives of people within our communities across the region.

"Through the giving of their free time to support staff and patients, more lives will be saved.”