About Us

Welcome to the official website of West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

We were authorised as a Foundation Trust in January 2013 and in line with the provisions of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, was licenced as a provider of NHS Services on 1 April 2013. As a Foundation Trust, we must have a Constitution that is compliant with current statute and the regulators Code of Governance.

To find out more about Foundation Trust - click here.

The former NHS Trust was formed in 2006, we have consistenly been one of the top performing ambulance Trusts in the country. We have been recognised as Ambulance Service of the Year for seven consecutive years.

We employ approximately 4,000 staff and operate from more than 100 community ambulance stations and 15 fleet preparation hubs across the region. The average age of our fleet is, for the first time, now under five years old. In total we use over 800 vehicles including ambulances, response cars, non-emergency ambulances and specialist vehicles.

There are two Emergency Operations Centres taking up to 3,000 emergency '999' calls each day. Every year we respond to more than 800,000 emergency and urgent incident and complete approximately 850,000 non-emergency patient journeys. We also provide emergency preparedness services, special operations and some primary care services. These core services are supported through a range of clinical and corporate functions.

We are supported by a network of volunteers. More than 800 people from all walks of life give up their time to be a Community First Responder. CFRs are always backed up by the ambulance service but there is no doubt that their early intervention has saved the lives of many people in our communities. We are also assisted by voluntary organisations such as the British Red Cross, St. John Ambulance, BASICS doctors, water-based rescue teams and 4x4 organisations.

The Trust serves a population of 5.36 million people covering an area of more than 5,000 square miles made up of Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and the Birmingham, Solihull and Black Country conurbation.

The West Midlands is full of contrasts and diversity. It includes the second largest urban area in the country (Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country) where 43% of the population of the Region live. However, over 80% of the area is rural. Parts, such as the Welsh Marches in Shropshire and Herefordshire, are classed as some of the most remote in England. It contains areas of high deprivation, particularly in Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry and Stoke-on-Trent, but also very prosperous areas like Solihull, South Warwickshire and the Vale of Evesham. With around 200,000 Asian and 60,000 black residents, we are the second most ethnically diverse region in the country after London.

We hope that you find the other pages of the website informative and helpful.

First Aid Training

Course Title £ Per Person £ Per Course
HSE First Aid at Work - 3 days 210.00 2100.00
HSE First Aid at Work Requalification - 2 days 150.00 1500.00
HSE Emergency First Aid at Work - 1 day 100.00 1000.00
HSE recommended Annual Refresher Courses - 3 hours 50.00 500.00
Basic Life Support - 2 hours 35.00 350.00
Intermediate Life Support - 4 hours 65.00 650.00
Automatic External Defibrillation (AED) - 4 hours 65.00 650.00
Paediatric Basic Life Support - 2 hours 35.00 350.00
First Person on Scene - Basic - 2 days 270.00 1850.00
First Person on Scene - Intermediate - 5 days 435.00 3800.00
Anaphylaxis - Basic Awareness - 1 hour 35.00 350.00
Anaphylaxis for Healthcare Professionals - 2 hours 35.00 350.00
Moving, Handling and Risk Assessment - inanimate objects - 2 hours 35.00 350.00

You SHOULD call 999 for cases such as:

chest pain
difficulty in breathing
loss of consciousness
severe blood loss
severe burns and scalds
choking
fitting/convulsions
drowning
severe allergic reactions

What to Expect When You Dial 999

When you ask for the ambulance service, our call handlers will ask you a number of questions. Every call that we receive is ‘triaged'. This is where we decide what is the most appropriate response to your call. Not all calls require an ambulance to be sent. Initially you will be asked four questions:

Is the patient breathing?
What address are you calling from?
What number are you calling from (in case you get cut off and we need to call you back)?
What is the reason for the call?

We need as much information as possible from you about the patient's condition as this will help us assess what response to make. It is really important to note that just because we are still asking you questions, does not mean that our dispatchers won't already have an ambulance vehicle on its way to you. The better the understanding of the patient's condition, the better our staff will be able to help you.

Not all calls require a traditional ambulance to be sent. Sometimes a paramedic in a rapid response car will be dispatched. On other occasions, you will be passed to an experienced paramedic who will discuss what to do next. For example they may refer you to your GP or simply give you advice. Our staff are very experienced in ensuring that you get the right help, at the right time and in the right place.

Help us to help you

If you are unfortunate enough to have to dial 999, there are a number of things that you can do to assist our staff.
If you are in the street, stay with the patient until help arrives
Call us back on 999 if the patient's condition changes or your location changes
If you are calling from work, ask someone to open the doors and signal where the ambulance staff are needed
If you are at home, please make sure that we are able to identify your house easily – is the house name or number clearly visible? If it is at night, make sure lights are on so that we can identify your house more easily
Lock away any family pets
If you can, write down the patient's GP details and collect any medication that they are taking
Tell us if the patient has any allergies
Although it may not be easy, please try to stay calm – we're here to help

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