Emergency Call Handler

Call handlers deal with emergency calls from the public and medical dispatchers make sure that the right help gets there as soon as possible.

Working life

Call handlers and emergency medical dispatchers work in ambulance control rooms as part of a team.

Working quickly and calmly, call handlers take essential details about the patient’s condition and location, logging the information onto a computer system. The information is then passed to an emergency medical dispatcher who makes decisions about how best to handle the situation.

Thinking fast, multi-tasking and using their initiative, call handlers and emergency medical dispatchers often work under great pressure. They might deal with life-or-death emergencies such as a major incident, a heart attack or drug overdose, or be faced with a situation such as a child with a suspected broken leg.

In extreme cases, they may have to talk a member of the public through an emergency procedure, such as clearing an obstruction from someone’s airway. Or they might need to persuade someone they should visit their GP or emergency department rather than sending an emergency vehicle to them.

Entry Requirements

Most trusts ask for a good general education and provide in-service training.   A level 3 apprenticeship may be available in your area.

In BLMK that are two Ambulance Trusts that you can contact to see what is required and information on vacancies.

Click here for the South Central Ambulance Trust

Click here for the East of England Ambulance Trust

In addition, for vacancies you can search on our “NHS Jobs” page