Job overview

Ambulance Care Assistants (Apprenticeship) - Start dates: November 2025, January 2026 and February 2026.

Successful applicants may be placed in a pool for a maximum of 6 months if a vacancy is not immediately available at a nearby station.

Do you enjoy the demands of a physically challenging job? If so, the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) are looking to recruit people that have a caring disposition and that share our passion for patient care.

Initial Training consists of a 7-week course on entry to the role (including driving and classroom based - Team Valley, Gateshead), failure to pass the course may result in dismissal. Please note the training course is an Apprenticeship Qualification (duration 13 months) Level 3 Certificate in Ambulance Patient Care and a Level 3 Award in Patient Care Services Ambulance Driving, which you must pass. As part of this you will also be supported to obtain literacy and numeracy level 2 if you do not already have them or the equivalent within 12 months of commencement with the organisation. You will also be required to sign a learner agreement for this level of commitment.

To apply for this role applicants must hold a full UK (Manual) driving license.

Relief Shift patterns are designed to cover for absence (annual leave/sickness etc). Shifts can include days, nights, evenings and weekends. As a 365-day service you will be required to work bank holidays, evenings and weekends

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be required to be physically fit and able to support the transfer and where on limited occasions the lifting of patients as part of their transport to and from their destination.

This may include lifting both up and downstairs on a shift basis.

All Infection Prevention and Control policies must be abided by to reduce the likelihood of a health care associated infection.

The post holder will also be required when necessary to carry out hands on CPR in the event of an emergency.

To use driving skills to respond to, urgent and routine calls as required.

To undertake daily vehicle inspections, restock hard and soft items according to the vehicle inventory.

The post holder will be expected to work at all times in line with the Trusts Vision, Mission and Values.

Working for our organisation

We employ 3,500 staff in 63 locations and serve a population of 2,600,000 in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, County Durham, and Tees over 3230 square miles.

Many people think the job of the ambulance service is to collect patients and take them to hospital, but we do much more!

Paramedic skills have developed hugely in recent years, meaning we carry out more treatment at the scene and en-route to hospital.

We have a dedicated clinical assessment service that allows us to provide patients with the most appropriate care from the beginning of the patient journey.

We have a specialised branch of the Trust called HART which deal with explosions or terrorist attacks.

Ultimately patients are the heart of everything that we do to support our mission of "safe, effective and responsive care for all".

We value and respect the diversity employees bring to our workplace. We recruit a workforce that reflects the community we serve, and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. To ensure we deliver on our aims in relation to diversity and inclusion we assess ourselves against a range of frameworks. We are ENEI Gold employer, Disability Confident Leader, Dyslexia Smart Award employer, Dementia Friendly, and part of Mind Blue Light programme and the Race at Work Charter from the Princes Responsible Business Network and are achieving across all objectives in NHS Equality Delivery System.