Ambulance Emergency Care Assistant
Also advertised as: Ambulance Care Assistant, Ambulance Emergency Care Assistant, Emergency Ambulance Crew, Emergency Care Support Worker, Patient Transport Driver
Drives and supports paramedics on emergency and urgent calls, assisting with patient care.
What the job involves
Emergency care assistants drive ambulances to incidents and support the paramedic with patient care, moving and monitoring patients en route to hospital. You attend a wide range of calls from minor injuries to life-threatening emergencies. The role is a well-established route into further ambulance service training, including paramedic science degrees.
Typical responsibilities
- Drive ambulances safely to emergency and urgent calls
- Assist paramedics with patient assessment and care
- Move and transport patients safely
- Maintain vehicle and equipment readiness
- Complete patient care records
Common employers
- NHS ambulance trusts
- Independent ambulance providers
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£23,000 – £26,000 a year
With experience
£27,000 – £31,000 a year
Typical hours
Shift work including nights, weekends and bank holidays
Working environment
Ambulance vehicle and patients' homes
Remote working
on_site
Demand for this work
high
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Emergency driving
- Basic patient care
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Composure under pressure
Transferable skills you may already have
- Driving experience
- Care or first aid background
- Working in high-pressure situations
Requirements employers ask for
- Emergency driving
- Basic patient care
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Composure under pressure
- Full UK driving licence with C1 category
- Enhanced DBS check
- Medical and fitness assessment
- Enhanced DBS check
- C1 driving licence category
Useful but not essential
- Driving experience
- Care or first aid background
- Working in high-pressure situations
- First aid or health and social care qualification
- Blue light driving course
Helpful qualifications
- First aid or health and social care qualification
- Blue light driving course
Licences and checks
- Enhanced DBS check
- C1 driving licence category
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Ambulance Support Worker apprenticeship (Level 3)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Health and social care
Where this career can lead
next
Associate Ambulance Practitioner
next
Paramedic
next
Emergency Operations Centre Dispatcher
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Direct route towards a paramedic career
- Varied and purposeful frontline work
- Strong NHS training and support structures
What people find hard
- Shift patterns are demanding on family life
- Exposure to traumatic incidents is frequent
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a ambulance emergency care assistant?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. not_required
- How much does a ambulance emergency care assistant earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £23,000 to £26,000 a year, rising towards £31,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Driving experience, Care or first aid background, Working in high-pressure situations.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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