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Ambulance care assistant

Alternative titles for this job include Patient transport service driver, ambulance staff

Ambulance care assistants take patients to and from hospital for appointments.

Average salary (a year)

£24,000 Starter

to

£27,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

37 to 42

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly

College

A college course might give you some of the knowledge and skills required to be an ambulance care assistant. 

You could take a level 2 certificate in health and social care or a T Level in health.

Entry requirements

You may need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

More Information

Apprenticeship

You could also become an ambulance care assistant by taking an ambulance support worker advanced apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More Information

Volunteering

You might find it useful to have some health or social care experience before applying for a job. For example, you could volunteer with:

Direct Application

You can apply directly for jobs. You'll need to:

  • have driving experience
  • use a sat nav, map or know the local area 
  • have experience working with disabled or elderly people

Some ambulance services may ask you for 4 GCSEs, including English, maths and a science at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent.

You might need an extra driving qualification for larger vehicles and carrying passengers if you passed your test after 1996.

More Information

Further information

You can find out about becoming an ambulance care assistant from Health Careers.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • sensitivity and understanding
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • thinking and reasoning skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

In this role you could:

  • lift and help patients in and out of the ambulance
  • settle patients back at home after their appointments
  • use a radio to keep in touch with the ambulance control room
  • check and maintain the ambulance and its equipment
  • keep accurate records of journeys

Working environment

You could work on an ambulance.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could:

  • become a team leader or supervisor
  • become an emergency care assistant or apply to be a student paramedic
  • move into personnel, training, health and safety or operations management

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for an ambulance care assistant right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

Healthcare Support Diploma

  • Provider: SOUTH DEVON COLLEGE
  • Start date: 24 September 2025
  • Location: Paignton

HND Healthcare Professions Support for England (HTQ)

  • Provider: OAKLANDS COLLEGE
  • Start date: 15 September 2025
  • Location: Welwyn Garden City
Find courses near you

Jobs In the United Kingdom

The Find a job service can help you with your search for jobs and send alerts when new jobs become available.

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