Are you a Doctor and interested in joining?
Our team includes doctors from a range of trauma-related specialities such as emergency medicine, anaesthetics, surgery and intensive care medicine. Our doctors typically hold consultant-level positions in the NHS, though team training can start as a senior postgraduate doctor in training (typically within a year of obtaining their CCT).
Our doctors work closely with the ambulance service and the majority will also hold a MERIT post with NWAS. We recommend that prospective team members consider applying for a MERIT post as that will provide additional relevant training and support.
Doctors may be deployed to incidents as part of a doctor/paramedic team in our team vehicle. In addition, and once they have completed appropriate advanced driving training, they may solo respond in their own vehicles. The charity supports solo responders to achieve this through driver training, by obtaining appropriate PPE and through carrying appropriate resuscitation equipment in their own vehicles.
It should be noted that the amended Section 19 of the Road Safety Act 2006 will be coming into force soon. This means that traditional ways in which responders may have been able to get blue light driver training will cease and new drivers may have to attend a longer course. Once we know the requirements that this will place on new solo responders, we'll update this page.
Most doctors wishing to join the scheme as a responder will require 1-2 years from initial interest to the point where they are solo responding. This time is required to acquire a range of competencies and experience before a final sign-off process with senior members of the team. The amount of time and number of additional training requirements will vary between individuals and we would encourage prospective members to get in touch to discuss this. NWAS Mandatory Training is also a yearly requirement and currently compromises of two days training. No renumeration is available for the loss incurred with attending this additional training.
If you are keen to look at responding in the future, then our suggestion would be to consider sitting the Diploma in Immediate Medical Care by the Faculty of Prehospital Care. You may also wish to look at courses run by other groups such as BASICS, ATACC and ALSG who which may also provide evidence of additional competencies relevant to the role.
This page will continue to be kept up to date with the latest developments in the physician-responding pathway.
Should you have any queries regarding joining the team, please email - recruitment