Ambulance Care Assistant

North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust; Little Hulton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider is seeking an Ambulance Care Assistant apprentice in Little Hulton. This role involves providing compassionate transportation for patients and requires a strong commitment to care and safety. Candidates should have GCSEs in English and Maths, a full driving licence, and demonstrate physical capability for patient handling. The position offers hands-on experience in a supportive environment, along with opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

Annual salary of £24,465

Unsocial hours payments

Training support for Level 3 Certificates

Qualifications

• GCSE (Grade C or above) in English and Maths or equivalent experience.
• Possession of a full manual driving licence.
• NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care or similar.

Responsibilities

• Transport patients safely to and from various destinations.
• Assist in the delivery of high quality care.
• Conduct daily vehicle inspections.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Basic IT knowledge

Physical ability to lift patients

Education

Three GCSEs (Grade C or above) including English and Maths

Full Manual Driving Licence

NVQ Level 2 qualification in Health and Social Care

Job description

Go back North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Ambulance Care Assistant

The closing date is 05 October 2025

Start your career in care with an Ambulance Care Assistant apprenticeship.

Do you share our passion for helping others? Do you enjoy the demands of a physically challenging job and are looking for a rewarding career in healthcare? Then this role is for you!

As an Ambulance Care Assistant apprentice, you'll be at the heart of patient care, providing safe, compassionate transport for patients who need support getting to and from hospital appointments, clinics, or treatment centres. You'll gain hands-on experience whilst completing a recognised qualification.

Initial training consists of a 7-week pass or fail course which includes practical driving and classroom-based learning at our education centre in Gateshead.

On passing the initial training course, we will support you to achieve Level 3 Certificates in Ambulance Patient Care and in Patient Care Services Ambulance Driving, if you don't already hold literacy and numeracy level 2/equivalents you'll be supported to obtain them.

As a 365 days of the year service you'll work, days, nights, bank holidays, (Christmas included) evenings and weekends.

Relief Shifts are designed to cover annual leave/sickness.

If you aren't allocated a training course immediately, we want to find a base closer to your home, this means you will be placed in a pool for up to 6 months.

Please view the Map for stations to be able to chose your location of priority.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be expected to work alone or with other Ambulance Care Assistants to transport patients to and from a variety of destinations

.They will be a key member of the transport team, assisting in the delivery of high quality and effective care and the transportation of patients in line with pre-agreed standard operating procedures in line with their scope of practice and associated training. (Team Managers will complete risk assessments and provide instruction in all complex cases).

To ensure that the needs of all patients and relatives are met without delay acting at all times in a courteous and sympathetic manner, being the patients advocate.

You will be required to be physically fit and able to support the transfer of, and where on limited occasions, the lifting of patients as part of their transport to and from their destination. This may include lifting both up and downstairs on a shift basis.

All Infection Prevention and Control policies must be abided by to reduce the likelihood of a health care associated infectionThe post holder will also be required when necessary to carry out hands on CPR in the event of an emergency.

To use driving skills to respond to, urgent and routine calls as required.To undertake daily vehicle inspections, restock hard and soft items according to the vehicle inventory.

The post holder will be expected to work at all times in line with the Trusts Vision, Mission and Values.

About us

We employ 3,500 staff in 63 locations and serve a population of 2,600,000 in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, County Durham, and Tees over 3230 square miles.

Many people think the job of the ambulance service is to collect patients and take them to hospital, but we do much more!

Paramedic skills have developed hugely in recent years, meaning we carry out more treatment at the scene and en-route to hospital.

We have a dedicated clinical assessment service that allows us to provide patients with the most appropriate care from the beginning of the patient journey.

We have a specialised branch of the Trust called HART which deal with explosions, terrorist attacks and much more.

Ultimately patients are the heart of everything that we do, to support our mission of "safe, effective and responsive care for all".

We value and respect the diversity employees bring to our workplace. We recruit a workforce that reflects the community we serve, and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. To ensure we deliver on our aims in relation to diversity and inclusion we assess ourselves against a range of frameworks. We are ENEI Gold employer, Disability Confident Leader, Dyslexia Smart Award employer, Dementia Friendly, and part of Mind Blue Light programme and the Race at Work Charter from the Princes Responsible Business Network and are achieving across all objectives in NHS Equality Delivery System.

Job responsibilities

For full details of the roles and responsibilities of these posts please refer to the attached job description and person specification as this will support you in the completion of your application.

NB Please ensure you indicate your preference of division when prompted.

Person Specification

Education

• Three GCSE (Grade C or above) to include English and Maths (or equivalent qualifications) or equivalent relevant experience working in a customer focused/ patient focused environment
• Full Manual Driving Licence with eligibility to drive in the UK
• NVQ Level 2 qualification in a relevant area e.g. Health and Social Care, Customer Care.

Experience and Skills

• Demonstratable strong communication skills and ability to deal with a range of people
• Basic IT knowledge and Skills.
• Physically able to regularly lift and carry patients of various weights, to bend, twist, pull, push and kneel (daily) etc

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

£24,465 a yearPlus Unsocial Hours Payments as per Section 2 of NHS T&Cs