Emergency Care Assistant

Emergency care assistants collect and look after people in need of emergency care.

An emergency care assistant responds to emergency calls alongside a paramedic. You will use expert emergency driving skills to get to people quickly, help provide them with potentially life-saving care, and, when needed, get patients to hospital quickly and safely.

Emergency care assistants are often exposed to distressing situations, supporting people who are badly hurt and traumatised.

Responsibilities

  • Under the direct supervision of the paramedic, you'll carry out essential emergency care such as controlling severe bleeding, treating wounds, and using a defibrillator to resuscitate patients with heart failure 

  • Driving emergency vehicles (usually an ambulance) 

  • Working with control room staff to keep other medical teams, fire and rescue services, and police aware of critical situations 

Career progression

  • You can progress in this team to become a team leader or supervisor, managing a group of emergency care assistants 

  • You can train to become a paramedic 

  • You may transfer to a desk-based role such as training, health and safety, or operational management 

Key information

  • Typical salary: £18,000 to £24,000 (37.5 hours per week) 

  • Often includes shift work (days, nights, weekends, bank holidays)

  • Up to 27 days annual leave

  • No qualifications or prior experience needed, including GSCEs, A-Levels, or BTECs

  • Must have a full, manual driving license when you apply. You will be trained on how to drive an ambulance vehicle 

  • Must be willing to wear a uniform 

  • Must have the right to work in the UK 

  • Eligible for NHS worker discounts

Image of young man, looking at the camera, Prince's Trust alum
"I was kind of lost, I didn’t know where I was going. The Prince’s Trust came along like ‘we have this gateway for you to get into care work’ which was definitely what I wanted to get into. I'd definitely recommend it." Ché