10 Facts about London Ambulance Service

1. On 1 April 1965, nine ambulance services merged to create London Ambulance Service.
2. In 1966 there were one million 999 ambulance calls for an ambulance in the whole of the UK while last year (April 2013 to March 2014), we responded to around 1.7 million calls and attended over one million incidents in London alone.
3. In 1965 ambulance men and women did an eight week training course, which involved practical training and a driving course. Today paramedics complete a three year degree.
4. Today, we have a wide range of frontline staff, from emergency ambulance crew, through to advanced and consultant paramedics and have a paramedic at director-level on our Trust Board.
5. In 1965 we had 2,500 staff working for the Service, compared to 4,500 now.
6. In 1965 ambulance men and women weren’t trained to carry and administer drugs to patients. In 2015 Paramedics carry around 30 drugs with them to incidents.
7. In 1965 ambulance men and women carried basic equipment like oxygen, stretchers, splints and breathing equipment. In 2015 ambulance crews carry an electrocardiography (ECG) machine, defibrillators, pulse monitor and blood pressure monitor.
8. In 1965 only six per cent of the workforce were women compared to almost half now (44 per cent).
9. Although the Service as we know it is only 50 years old, there have been ambulances working in the capital for well over 100 years.
10. In 1965 we only used ambulances to treat and transport people. In 2015 we us ambulances, cars, motorcycles and bikes and can also dispatch a helicopter.