Supporting Our Communities

With your support, the Charity can continue to fund vital lifesaving defibrillators for our communities, along with other initiatives such as school education programmes, additional equipment and clinical training aids.

We often support community groups to provide Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and Community/Public Access Defibrillators (CPADs) in areas previously without coverage. This funding from the NWAS Charity is over and above the contracted service provision of the North West Ambulance Service, whose NHS funding does not cover any provision of these life saving items. You can read about one of our community projects here.

group of people standing in front of newly installed defibrillator

Since 2021, we have provided over 350 CPADs in partnership with local community groups, and as part of large projects supported by Northern Rail and NHS Charities Together in particular.   And as part of a project using funding provided by NHS Charities Together  (including the incredible efforts of the late Captain Sir Tom Moore, and many others), we are supporting the cost of five Community Resuscitation Engagement Officer posts across the North West and one Community Defibrillation Training Officer for a period of two years.  This will enable us to target the communities with the lowest out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates, to ensure that they are given the support, equipment and resources needed to address this issue.  

Supporting our staff and volunteers 

Here are some examples of projects we have funded in recent years, which have supported our colleagues to help them to be able to provide the very best patient care:  

  • Provision of indoor and outdoor furniture, and other much-needed enhancements to our ambulances stations and other sites across the North West, providing better relaxation facilities before and after shifts, during breaks etc, or for debriefing after particularly stressful calls. 
  • Insulated water bottles for all staff and volunteers.  
  • Resilience Programme for managers; a health and wellbeing initiative was launched to support managers during the recovery phase of COVID.  
  • A bespoke coaching transformation programme designed to improve resilience, performance and recovery of staff when working under pressure. 
  • Training equipment and other support for our network of volunteer Community First Responders. 
  • Dedicated welfare vehicles during high intensity periods, to provide ambulance staff with hot drinks and food and other wellbeing support at Emergency Departments at times where long patient-handover waits have been experienced.   
  • Staff Gym at our new Blackpool Ambulance Station Hub, to help support health and wellbeing. 
  • A Hardship Fund to provide small grants to lower-salary-band staff members experiencing financial difficulties during the cost of living crisis.     

The Charity also funds flowers for bereaved colleagues who have lost a close family member, or those who have had babies. 

Collage of a gym and picnic bench funded by NWAS charity