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Tag: Community First Responder

  • Volunteering grows friendships

    Volunteering grows friendships

    In February 2023 Rachel joined South Central Ambulance Charity as a Community First Responder in High Wycombe.

    After completing her training she needed to find a buddy to help her in those first few shifts. Simon stepped forward and met Rachel in one of our Direct Response Vehicles (DRV) to show her the ropes.

    Fast forward 6 months and Rachel and Simon can still be found to responding together as a team but also spend time socialising away from their time with South Central Ambulance Charity.

    Simon said they have become firm friends “I think it takes a certain type of person to become a CFR, and with that common ground, it’s hard not to get along with your CFR scheme members”

  • Celebrating CFR Friendships

    Celebrating CFR Friendships

    When Caite became a CFR in 2021 her main goal was to share the compassion and patience she had developed with her grandfather who suffered with Dementia.

    Our CFRs are placed within a scheme within their community and as part of their induction and training they will go out on buddy shifts and its these connections where we first see friendships grow.

    For Caite she was placed with Vicki – “I know from experience how nerve racking it was after qualifying and wanted to support Caite (and later Jenna) to build their confidence in responding to calls in the first few weeks”. 

    That support, and the ongoing support and friendship, from Vicki really helped Caite build her own confidence as she became more settled into her new volunteering role.

    Jenna became a CFR in late 2022 as she had always considered becoming a paramedic and desperately wanted to make a difference in her community.

    She was partnered with both Caite and Vicki to do those initial buddy shifts.

    Jenna said, “Both of them have been a fantastic support in every situation and any questions any of us have, there’s always an answer between the 3 of us!” 

    Now the three of them can be found doing shifts together, training together or just catching up in their own spare time.

    When Caite joined she had one goal – to help people,  the friendships she has gained are the added extra  “I am so lucky to say I have made amazing friends from my volunteering work. Not just Vicki and Jenna but I am friends with my cohort team and all the other training buddies I have met along the way.”

  • Buckinghamshire Community First Responders are Making a Difference!

    Buckinghamshire Community First Responders are Making a Difference!

    Congratulations to our 120 Buckinghamshire Community First Responders (CFR) and our local Co-Responders who have been shortlisted for the Community Group Award at this years BBC Three Counties Make a Difference Awards.

    The Community Group Award recognises a group of people who have helped to genuinely change the lives of others within the community – and this certainly encompasses our CFRs.

    In the last 12 months our Buckinghamshire Responders have volunteered 38,828 hours in responding time alone. The CFR programme is fully funded by South Central Ambulance Charity, and therefore as part of their volunteering commitment they also support the charity with fundraising by attending local events, and also giving community talks to increase the understanding and knowledge of their own role and the charity.  

    SCAS and the Charity want to educate people in CPR and increase defibrillator understanding and use, and as a result the CFRs will also be out in their communities teaching these skills so that members of the public can react to an emergency if required.

    We are very grateful for all the Buckinghamshire Responders do and we know that they are well known within their local communities and the incredible volunteering role they do. Good Luck to them in September when they attend the awards ceremony.

  • Medical and nursing students volunteer to enhance learning and skills

    Medical and nursing students volunteer to enhance learning and skills

    People have many different reasons to volunteer with us – from wanting to give something back to the NHS or because they have been inspired when meeting some of our volunteers at events. However for many volunteers it allows them to add additional skills and experience to their CV’s in preparation for job searching – and this is especially true for our CFRs who are studying for a range of medical degrees at local universities.

    In West Hampshire there is an active team of around 20 medical and nursing students from University of Southampton who are trained as CFRs. Being able to respond around their studies allows them to experience pre-hospital emergency medicine first hand, and their CFR skills are transferable to their medical studies.

    Medical and nursing students are taught the value of taking a “social history” from every patient, and volunteering with SCAS gives them a better understanding of patients diverse support networks, living conditions and an understanding of the work of Ambulance Trusts and the care patients receive before attending hospitals.

    James Brew, CFR Coordinator for Hampshire Medical Students, said “As a scheme we are looking forward to recruiting and mentoring a new intake of 10 medical and nursing students who are current Year 1 / 2 at University of Southampton very soon. We enjoy engaging with potential new student CFRs and explaining the merits that this volunteering opportunity has for all involved.”

    If you are a University Student and would like to find out if we have a scheme at your University please send an email to info@sca-charity.org.uk

  • Community First Responders supporting “Safe Drive Stay Alive”

    Community First Responders supporting “Safe Drive Stay Alive”

    In November 2022, several Community First Responders (CFR) from Buckinghamshire supported “Safe Drive Stay Alive” in High Wycombe and Milton Keynes.

    “Safe Drive Stay Alive” is a hard hitting educational piece that is delivered to 2000 teenagers per show. Its aim is to raise their awareness of the dangers and possible long term outcomes of reckless driving and/or driving whilst under the influence. Powerful videos, live testimony from emergency services personnel, survivors, bereaved parents, barristers and prison inmates all serve to demonstrate how one, seemingly, simple choice made when getting behind the wheel of a car can have devastating, life-changing consequences.

    Due to the hard hitting impact of the show some members of the audience do need to leave the auditorium and that is when our CFR team are ready to step in. Some of the audience needed time out and an opportunity to chat through what they had witnessed and others required treatment for fainting, nausea and dizziness.

    Simon Everitt, CFR in High Wycombe, had the privilege of being one of our team at these shows and said “As a new CFR, it was a privilege to work with my colleagues to help ensure that everyone is properly looked after and then returned to their school cohort once fully recovered. I hope that this well put together work will influence future behaviours and will lead to lives being saved in the future”