Monday 24th July 2017 – 4.30pm – Jamie Arrowsmith.
The Trust’s Patient Transport Service (PTS) is an integral part of West Midlands Ambulance Service and plays a vital role in ensuring that patients from all over the region get to their hospital appointments each year.
Alongside PTS crews that are employed by West Midland Ambulance Service, the Trust also utilises the help of volunteer car drivers.
West Midlands Ambulance Service is currently appealing to anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer car driver in Herefordshire and Tenbury Wells to help get patients to their appointments at local renal dialysis centres or to hospital appointments further afield.
At present the Trust has around 40 volunteer car drivers who come from all walks of life and help to convey a wide range of patients to physiotherapy, renal and general outpatient appointments to a number of hospitals throughout the region.
Michelle Brotherton, Non-Emergency Services Operations Delivery Director, said: “Volunteer car drivers are extremely helpful to the service. There are no set hours and volunteers can do as much or as little as they wish, enabling them to fit their volunteering around their own lifestyle.
“I look forward to hearing from anyone wishing to become a volunteer, however, due to the nature of the work, it is essential that applicants have a high standard of cleanliness and dress, patience and consideration of patients.”
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer car driver you must:
- Hold a clean driving licence.
- Own a four-door car in good mechanical condition, with good exterior bodywork. (You must be able to produce all vehicle documentation e.g. MOT, insurance etc)
- All applicants must be prepared to have a Criminal Records Bureau check.
- Applicants are required to be medically and physically fit and to have a mature and caring attitude.
The Trust pays a set mileage rate to cover fuel costs as well as other out-of-pocket expenses e.g. cost of parking, cost of work phone calls etc.
For more information please contact Ros Wale via rosalind.wale@wmas.nhs.uk.
Ends.
Hello I’m Carl,
And a friend who just left the ambulance service sent me a link. I am very interested in becoming a volunteer driver, I did this for 16yrs for cvs transporting all walks of life to schools, hospitals, care homes etc, I live in Newport Shropshire and would love to rekindle my volunteer driving,
Many thanks
Carl Dixon
29 vineyard
Drive,
Newport
Shropshire
Tf107df
Mobile
07855277293
Hi Carl…we’ve passed your name an email address onto those who organise this service and they should be getting in contact shortly. Thanks for your interest.
This appeal for volunteer drivers is for Herefordshire; What about the rest of the WMAS region?
Good morning William…we only appeal for volunteers in areas where we provide the non-emergency patient transport contract and where we are short. Depending on where you live, there may be opportunities. If you are interested, please email damian.dixon@wmas.nhs.uk and he should be able to advise if there are any opportunities. Thanks
I’m very interested to take up a role as a volunteer driver. I’m a retired driving instructor and also worked for the Regional Driving Assessment Centre for nine years. I still have a current DBS clearance too.
Can you tell me if there are vacancies in the Midlands ? I live near the QE hospital.
Alan Watson
Hi Alan…
Thank you for your offer of assisting. I don’t believe that we are currently recruiting for voluntary car drivers, but these are likely to be advertised on NHS Jobs. You can set up an alert if you register which will let you know when they are advertised. You may also want to talk to our Recruitment Team about your hopes and they may nbe able to give you further advice. They are on 01384 215 896.
Hope that helps
Thank you for your reply.
I’ll contact recruitment as you have suggested.
Alan