Volunteer Responder Group

We support the work of volunteer lifesavers in the capital through a linked charity – the London Ambulance Service Voluntary Responder Group (Registered Charity No. 1061191-1).

Launched by patron Dame Helen Mirren in March 2012, the charity offers financial support to volunteer groups responding to patients alongside a traditional 999 ambulance response.

We already reach a majority of patients quickly, but for those whose heart has stopped beating, receiving lifesaving care immediately gives them the best chance of survival.

All volunteer responders are trained to use a defibrillator, a device that can restart a patient’s heart by delivering an electric shock. Getting a defibrillator to someone in cardiac arrest gives them the best chance of survival.

We have worked over the last decade to improve the cardiac arrest survival rate in London, which is now at its highest-ever level, and our work with volunteer responders looks to build on that success.

The London Ambulance Voluntary Responder Group is made of:

• Emergency Responders clinically-trained volunteers responding on blue lights alongside ambulances to 999 calls
• Community first responders – defibrillator-trained St John Ambulance volunteers attending on call from their homes and responding to 999 calls in their own car without blue lights alongside ambulances

Donations to the Voluntary Responder Group are used for events and volunteer appreciation.