West Midlands Ambulance Service takes around 4,000 ‘999’ calls every single day and we’re getting busier.
When you call 999, its our control room staff in our two Emergency Operations Centres 
in Stafford and Brierley Hill who will answer you. Each call is categorised to ensure patients get the most appropriate response to their clinical needs. However, many people still think we take every patient to hospital – the reality is very different! Around 15% of our calls are actually dealt with on the phone when you call 999. When our staff respond by ambulance to a 999 call, they treat the majority of patients at the scene with less than 50% actually needing further treatment in A&E.
With more than 460 ambulances, the Trust’s fleet has the highest percentage of traditional double-crewed ambulances in the country. Of those, 15 ambulances have 4×4 capability and all of our paramedic officers also respond in 4×4 cars.
Our fleet and front-line staff respond from 15 ambulance hubs across the region. We are the only ambulance service to have a paramedic on every vehicle. We are achieving this by recruiting graduate paramedics from university, many of whom will have completed their practical placements with us. In addition, we provide additional training for existing staff and we also run an incredibly successful student paramedic programme.
Our regular front-line staff receive assistance from a number of specialist staff and an ‘army’ of volunteers;
- We have access to five air ambulances, the highest number of any service in the country.
- The Trust’s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) are specialist paramedics who are trained to operate in challenging and often dangerous situations such as collapsed buildings, in fast moving water, working at height, in confined spaces as well as helping patients suffering from the effects of explosions, chemical or biological incidents.
- We are supported by a fantastic network of volunteers; hundreds of people from all walks of life give up their time to help the people in their own towns and villages by becoming a Community First Responder. The number of people alive today because of their actions rises every year. Providing early defibrillation can be truly lifesaving.
- We are also assisted by a host of voluntary organisations such as BASICS doctors, water-based rescue teams and 4×4 organisations.
- We operate mental health triage cars, in partnership with mental health trusts, in Birmingham and Worcester to respond specialist help to patients in mental health crisis.
The wealth and breadth of experience and vast knowledge of our staff means that we can deliver the right patient care, in the right place, at the right time.