Ambulance volunteering resources
This page collects articles, guides and resources for ambulance volunteering. Collectively, they are designed to exhibit good practice and share positive news stories and developments across the sector.
Resources, guides and position papers
The following section contains a series of national resources developed to create greater coordination and national cohesion between ambulance volunteering services. It includes resources that have been developed by AACE and participating ambulance trusts.
They are designed to support trusts to better benchmark and align their services to current national best practice. They are also designed to develop joint coordinated solutions to shared challenges. Trusts are encouraged to engage with these resources and adapt and implement them to suit their local needs.
Ambulance commissioning: A statement from national ambulance volunteer leads – May 2025
Volunteer role description guidance: Creating a compelling role description that is informative and accessible is a vital part of the volunteering journey. Trusts came together with AACE to develop some shared national good practice on how to do this. You can read it here.
Volunteering policy guidelines for ambulance volunteering: This guide (March 2025) has been prepared to assist volunteer leaders with writing policies for ambulance volunteers. It is not an exhaustive template, rather it aims to assist with the style, format and layout of the document. Read it here.
Volunteering leadership maturity matrix: The volunteering leadership maturity matrix is a self-assessment tool for ambulance trusts to use. It provides a framework for analysing the leadership structures and trust-based support for volunteering. We encourage trusts to use this tool with a wide group of stakeholders including volunteers, volunteer managers, senior leaders and other key stakeholders. Download it here.
National Ambulance Volunteering Strategy – read the current version here
Volunteer reward and recognition guidance: Reward and recognition is a key part of helping volunteers to feel valued and included as part of the organisation. Ambulance trusts worked with AACE to develop a national guide on reward and recognition. Trusts are advised to use this guidance and apply it to their local circumstances. You can read it here.
Volunteer voice: This is a national framework developed to support ambulance trusts in effectively involving volunteers in decision-making processes. It outlines why including the “volunteer voice” is important and helpful to ambulance trusts and offers guidance on the kinds of roles and responsibilities that trusts may wish to develop. Read it here.
Medicines management for the volunteer responder workforce in NHS ambulance service trusts: This guidance has been produced collaboratively by the Ambulance Chief Pharmacist Network, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) and the National Ambulance Volunteer Responder Leadership Group (NAVRLG). Its purpose is to provide a consistent framework for the implementation and governance of medicines within the volunteer responder workforce. By adopting a shared approach, we aim to reduce duplication, promote efficiency, and support continuous improvement across the ambulance sector. The document includes:
- Clear principles for the introduction and management of medicines in volunteer responder roles
- Governance requirements and responsibilities for safe practice
- An editable template to support local implementation, ensuring flexibility for each trust’s governance processes
- We encourage trusts to review the guidance, adapt the editable sections as required, and incorporate the template into their existing medicines governance arrangements
Download the Word version here
Should you have any questions, require further clarification, or wish to provide feedback, please contact Shani Corb, Chief Pharmacist at SECAMB: shani.corb@secamb.nhs.uk
National reports and data:
This section shares the growing bank of national-level data and reporting into ambulance volunteering.
National dashboard: The National Ambulance Volunteering Dashboard has been developed by AACE in partnership with ambulance trusts. It is designed to highlight the range of individuals who support ambulance services, the activities in which they participate, and the patients they help via clinical and non-clinical volunteering opportunities.
National ambulance volunteer survey: The national ambulance volunteering survey was first undertaken in 2024. It is now an annual fixture and allows services to understand the volunteering experience, which helps services to develop and also aids national coordination around key issues and trends. You can read more about the 2025 survey here.
National CFR research project report (Sept 2025): How can we better demonstrate the impact of Community First Responder volunteers on the ambulance service, and what policy recommendations can we make based on this analysis? This national research project was undertaken by Kings College London in 2025. Its aim was to develop the national evidence base for the important role of ambulance Community First Responder (CFR) volunteers.
You can read the full report here.
Stories and case studies:
The following section contains a curated collection of stories from across the ambulance volunteering landscape; some national, some local. They are designed to illustrate the depth and breadth of ambulance volunteering and its impact on the lives of our patients, our services, and our communities.
Ambulance services support lifesaving training in mosques – AACE & BIMA
One Big Thank You for James, SCAS community first responder – AACE
Why ambulance volunteers are no longer a nice-to-have (behind paywall)
South West ambulance community first responders ‘a lifeline’ – BBC News
How ambulance volunteers are playing their part – AACE
If you have any strategic queries about ambulance sector volunteering, please contact the National Ambulance Volunteer Lead joe.crook@aace.org.uk
