South Western Ambulance Service
West Division Headquarters
Exeter Ambulance Station
Gladstone Road
Exeter
EX1 2EB
Telephone: 01392 427266
Fax: 01392 422050
Email: publicrelations@swast.nhs.uk
Lead Contact: Chris Wyatt, Head of Operations - West
Serving the people of Plymouth is the South Western Ambulance Service which provides essential ambulance services for the NHS. There are a total of twelve NHS Ambulance Trusts throughout England, all of which with the exception of the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service are independent Trusts.
The local Trust in Plymouth and the South West serves an estimated population of almost 3 million and with the tourist industry in the South West being what it is they have to provide for around another 17.5 million visitors each year who come to enjoy our local South West attractions, beaches and major events in Plymouth. With all the hotels in Plymouth and the South West as a whole holiday makers visiting Devon and Cornwall keep the South Western Ambulance Service very busy in the vast area they have to cover.
With 32,000 kilometres of roads in Plymouth and the South West it is a wonder how the ambulance, police and Plymouth fire service can cope especially during the summer months. The many Plymouth roadworks obviously make life more difficult for those that work in ambulance service.
The traffic problems in Plymouth together with the influx of visitors to such events as Plymouth Fireworks competition 2011 and the America’s Cup 2011 on the Hoe make it very frustrating for those with jobs in police, ambulance and fire services. All year there are sporting events in Plymouth such as Plymouth Argyle and Plymouth Albion matches which can always be a catalyst for incidents requiring the attention of the South Western Ambulance Service in conjunction with voluntary organisation St. John’s Ambulance.
It is the rural areas though that can cause even more logistical problems concerning access to patients. Sometimes it’s just not possible for an ambulance to arrive close enough to an incident and the Devon Air Ambulance is sometimes called into action in remotest parts of the 5000 square miles of countryside including Dartmoor. Occasionally speed is of the essence and transporting patients to other hospitals by air is the preferred choice. Anyone who has driven their car from Plymouth to Bristol or Birmingham can imagine what it might be like in a life or death situation.
The Trust provides jobs for ambulance and other staff for over 2200 people and can call upon the services of more than 100 South West and Plymouth student paramedics and over 600 South West and Plymouth GP and bank staff in Plymouth area and throughout the South West.
Anyone looking for a job in Plymouth ambulance service may be interested to know that there are many different South West Ambulance jobs that you could apply including Paramedic, Emergency Care Practitioner, Emergency Care Assistant, Ambulance Care Assistants, Accident & Emergency Control Assistant and Patient Transport Service Control Assistant.
The Trust states is working towards equal opportunities and having a workforce which represents the diversity of the people it serves. And because of under representation they particularly welcome Plymouth job applications from people with a disability and people from minority ethnic groups.
It would therefore suggest that, those who are thinking of applying and have disabilities or belong to a minority ethnic group, they could possibly have a better chance of success in getting an ambulance job in Plymouth. This would also appear to be the case for police jobs in Plymouth and for those who are interested in applying for a job in Plymouth as a firefighter.
For those who would like a voluntary work in Plymouth could consider applying to join the St John’s Ambulance in Plymouth who are always providing first aid courses in Plymouth and surrounding area and for all general equiries you can contact them on 08700 10 49 50.
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