Community Training Volunteer

The Community Training Volunteer plays a key role in South Western Ambulance's aim to improve community resilience by increasing knowledge of CPR and how to use a public access defibrillator in case of an emergency. In the UK, only 1 in every 10 people experiencing an out of hospital cardiac arrest survive to discharge from hospital. Our aim, at the South Western Ambulance Service, is to give more people and communities the skills and confidence to perform those lifesaving interventions in the first critical minutes before an ambulance arrives.

Community Training Volunteers are supported by their local county Community Engagement and Training Officer (CEOTO) at South Western Ambulance Service. As a Community Training Volunteer you deliver our hour and a half long CPR and defibrillator awareness session. The sessions consist of a presentation and practical exercises. Through the session you will also:

• Raise awareness of the GoodSAM Application which aims to match those with CPR skills with out of hospital cardiac arrests;
• Raise awareness of the South Western Ambulance volunteer Community First Responder schemes;
• Raise awareness and invite donations for the South Western Ambulance Service Charity.

Overall, you will be giving members of the public the skills and knowledge to save a life.

Main duties of the job RESPONSIBILITIES

• To volunteer reliably to the best of my ability and to give as much warning as possible whenever you cannot complete a session as arranged.
• Carry out volunteering tasks as guided by the local Community Engagement and Training Officer.
• Select and apply in each task the appropriate procedures in accordance with the training received and relevant policies and procedures.
• To communicate with everyone in a clear and effective manner to ensure the best possible experience for everyone involved in the initiative.
• To always maintain the confidential information of the organisation and of its patients and in accordance with the Trust's information governance guidance and policy.
• To treat everyone with whom you come into contact, with dignity and respect.
• Promote Equality & Diversity and a non‑discriminatory culture.
• Identify and take action when other people's behaviour undermines the expectation of the Trust and of yours.
• To join this volunteering role on the understanding there is no remuneration by the Trust for pay.
• Maintain appropriate standards of cleanliness of the SWAST Volunteer uniform, operating environment, and all equipment.

About us

At South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) we have a culture where everyone is valued for being themselves. Our aim is to work together to promote the most inclusive environment possible, which attracts people from the widest range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work that we do together, for the benefit of all of our employees, our patients and the communities we serve. We offer flexible working opportunities, inclusive policies and a range of feedback mechanisms to support individuals and to enable a positive, welcoming environment where our people and their careers can thrive in.

We employ over 5,000 employees mainly clinical, operational and emergency response staff as well as supporting roles. We also employ doctors and volunteers which include community first responders and fire co‑responders. We take all the steps needed to provide the most compassionate patient care possible whilst also providing an enjoyable and safe place to work. We actively promote a positive set of behaviours as being key to our performance both individually and collectively. Our recruitment, selection and screening processes are designed to uphold these standards and we invite all our candidates to actively share with us through these processes how they will bring these behaviours to life.

Person Specification

• Ability to drive to pre‑arranged training sessions using your own vehicle or a Trust Community Response Vehicle.
• Ability to communicate effectively to groups of people.
• Positive outlook.
• Good time management.
• Ability to interact with people from a diverse cultural and social background.
• Emotionally intelligent and able to deal with sensitive subjects in an empathetic manner.
• Previous training in Basic Life Support – it does not matter if you are a bit rusty – we can update you!
• Experience in dealing with a range of age and social groups.

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.