St John Ambulance

St John Ambulance steps in to help following Covid-19 related staff absences

St John Ambulance (SJA) will be assisting the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service (IWAS) with 999 urgent and emergency responses as part of a national contingency strategy.

The charity is providing mutual aid in supporting the Island community during what continues to be an incredibly busy time for urgent and emergency services.

Throughout January and February the demand on the IW Ambulance Service has risen and Covid-19 related staff absences has put additional pressure on the service.

White: Very thankful to St John Ambulance
Victoria White, Head of Isle of Wight Ambulance Service welcomes the support. Victoria said,

“We are very thankful to St John Ambulance for offering to work alongside us, their support will help us to continue to care for our community as efficiently and effectively as possible during the pandemic.”

Highly-skilled and professional ambulance crews
St John Ambulance have highly-skilled and professional ambulance crews which include paramedics, emergency ambulance crew, technicians, and other staff. All the paramedics have a minimum of two years post-registration experience.

Many of their vehicles are specifically designed to transport patients with additional complex needs. For example, high-dependency and people who are extremely obese and are well-equipped with the highest quality of supplies, consumables, and equipment. 

Bevis: Pleased to lend our support
Dan Bevis, National Head of Ambulance Operations, St John Ambulance said,

“St John Ambulance crews have been working alongside the NHS nationally since the start of the pandemic and we’re pleased to be able to lend our support to the Isle of Wight to ensure services can continue to operate smoothly during times of increased demand and pressure.

The first SJA crew arrived on the Island last week to join the IW Ambulance Service and are based at the Newport SJA Headquarters. 

More information about St John Ambulance is available at www.sja.org.uk/


News shared by Isle of Wight NHS Trust, in their own words. Ed