Ambulance Care Assistant - Hampshire
The closing date is 22 February 2026.
Ambulance Care Assistants Roles in Hampshire
Do you have the compassion to reassure a patient living with dementia on their way to a hospital appointment? Can you stay calm when traffic threatens to delay your next collection? Are you resilient enough to support someone coping with a life‑limiting illness? If so, you could be the perfect fit for our team.
Our Ambulance Care Assistants play a vital role in patient care, ensuring every journey is safe, comfortable, and dignified. You'll provide support and reassurance to patients travelling to and from hospital appointments, treating everyone with kindness and empathy.
This is a hands‑on role that involves:
* Driving patients safely across Hampshire
* Assisting with mobility, including lifting and helping patients into vehicles
* Delivering exceptional care and customer service
You don't need a medical background—just a genuine desire to help people, excellent communication skills, and patience. Physical fitness is essential, as lifting and moving patients is a key part of the role.
If you're ready for a rewarding challenge and want to make a real difference every day, apply now and join our trusted team.
Main duties of the job
The Role:
* Taking patients to and from their medical appointments and treating them with dignity.
* Moving and lifting patients who need help.
* Driving a long wheel‑base vehicle with manual transmission.
* Shift work: working a variety of shifts from 0530 to midnight, both on your own and with a colleague.
* Full‑time role is 37.5 hours a week.
The Ambulance Care Assistant (ACA) role is a gateway into the Ambulance Service. People who join as an ACA can go on to be Team Leaders or Managers within their area or move to work in the front‑line teams or one of the many supports and corporate teams.
About us & Benefits
Benefits We Offer:
* Full training and a range of courses which you can book locally.
* Holiday entitlement of 27 days, rising to 29 days after 5 years' service and 33 days after 10 years' service, plus an additional 8 days bank holiday (pro rata for part time).
* Automatic enrolment into the NHS Pension Scheme.
* Access to continual professional development within SCAS and the wider NHS.
* Occupational Health support and direct access to our Employee Assistance Programme as well as our own Health and Wellbeing Team.
* NHS Discounts in over 200+ stores saving money on holidays, days out, car insurance, restaurants, clothing and much more.
* Ability to join our staff networking groups (as a member, ally or just for interest).
Corporate Induction
It's really important for us to ensure you have the best onboarding experience which allows you to feel a sense of belonging from the start. We will book your Corporate Induction as soon as possible (depending on availability). All new starters need to attend our corporate induction in person over one and a half days from our educational centres based in Newbury (Berkshire), Bicester (Oxfordshire) or Whiteley (Hampshire). Further details will be sent once your start date is confirmed. Please note—depending on your role, additional training may be required following the corporate induction.
Job responsibilities
This is a competitive process. We strongly advise you to review the link with detailed instructions on How to apply for the role and read the job description and person specification attached before completing your application.
Main duties and responsibilities include:
* Planning journeys, taking patient appointment timings and route considerations to ensure an efficient and effective service.
* Driving vehicles carefully, complying with Road Traffic Legislation and ensuring the safety of passengers, equipment, and other road users.
* Conducting daily vehicle checks (Oil, Water, Fuel, Tyre pressure, lights, warnings, etc.) and recording defects in the vehicle defect book and computerised systems.
* Administering ambulance nursing to an appropriate skill level, including administration of oxygen as per guidelines.
* Manoeuvring patients into ambulance vehicles using appropriate equipment and securing them safely.
* Risk‑assessing patient handling to accommodate medical and cultural needs.
* Maintaining good internal and external communication links with patients, colleagues and associated services.
* Operating communication systems supplied/fitted by the Trust in accordance with Policies and Procedures.
* Participating in the PTS rota for shift covering as required.
* Completing induction and core skill training (First Aid, Core Driving, Conflict Management, Manual Handling, Child Protection, Health and Safety, etc.) and ongoing training.
* Wearing and maintaining Personal Protective Equipment (uniform, etc.) to the required standard.
* Recording and submitting information accurately via computerised systems or hard copy.
* Accurately completing administration information and documentation as per SOPs and Trust policies.
* Submitting incident reporting paperwork, including injuries to patients, self or vehicle.
* Complying with all Trust policies and procedures and participating in major incident responses and other operational duties.
* Working within the Ambulance Competency Framework and contributing to the Trust's appraisal scheme and continual professional development.
Applicants must complete an interview and a pre‑employment fitness assessment.
Applicants who do not demonstrate how they meet the Person Specification within their application will not be shortlisted.
Please demonstrate how you already embrace our values in your current/previous employment or educational settings within your application.
Your supporting information is your chance to articulate why you want to work within the Ambulance Care Assistant role, and why we should be shortlisting you.
We aim for a quick turnaround on interviews and fitness assessments, with anticipated dates scheduled for early February. Our goal is to keep the process smooth and efficient, ensuring candidates have all the information they need.
We have 2 ACA courses, one in April and one in May, running from our education centres in Whiteley and Newbury.
If successful you will join our waitlist where we will start completing your pre‑employment checks. Once you meet minimum checks required, we will contact you to book you onto the next available course.
If you are not successful for this opportunity, there are no deferral options available.
Whilst we will endeavour to place you at your preferred station, location is subject to vacancies being available and the needs of the service at that time.
This vacancy is for candidates who currently have the Right to Work in the UK (do not require a visa) as we are unable to provide sponsorship for this role.
Please see the additional information document attached to the advert for more information.
Top tips:
* Review all person specifications both essential & desirable.
* Fully consider the job you are applying for; working in a front‑line operational setting is extremely rewarding but can also be physically and mentally challenging.
* Demonstrate your work journey and why this is the right next step for you.
* Carefully review your application before submitting.
We are expecting this programme to be very popular and due to the limited spaces available we may close this advert early should we receive a sufficient number of applications.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
* Full manual UK driving licence with no more than 3 points for speeding (offences relating to drink or drugs will be rejected).
* GCSE at grade 4 or above (or equivalent) in Maths or English or demonstrable experience.
* Evidence of self‑development CPD / Portfolio.
Knowledge and Experience
* Previous patient care experience.
* Previous NHS experience.
* Basic knowledge of human anatomy and physiology (e.g., Biology qualification).
* Geographical knowledge of operational area (Hampshire; Eastleigh/Basingstoke/Portsmouth).
* Demonstrable experience as an ACA.
Skills and Aptitudes
* Ability to communicate effectively: aurally, orally and in writing.
* Ability to use communication and computerised systems e.g. Terrafix and mobile phones.
* Previous manual handling experience in a professional capacity.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous convictions.
Employer name
South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
£24,937 to £26,598 a year pro‑rata, per annum
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