New Emergency Response Vehicle to Support Norfolk Co-Responder Pilot

A new emergency response car will support St John Ambulance volunteers responding to 999 calls as part of a co-responder pilot with the East of England Ambulance Service in Norfolk.

The fully liveried BYD SEALION 7 has been loaned to St John Ambulance by electric vehicle manufacturer BYD. It will be used by trained volunteers attending emergencies in the community, where they can provide early clinical assessment and urgent care before ambulance crews arrive.

The Norfolk pilot launched earlier this year and is testing how co-responders can support patients, particularly in rural areas where fast early intervention can make a significant difference.

Volunteers are dispatched by EEAST to incidents including cardiac arrests, strokes, breathing difficulties and serious injuries. The scheme is also intended to support ambulance capacity by allowing some patients to be treated safely at the scene where appropriate.

In its first two months, the pilot has seen volunteers respond to 142 patients across 33 shifts. The team has contributed more than 600 volunteering hours and was first on scene in more than 93% of incidents. According to St John Ambulance, volunteers arrived an average of 28 minutes before an NHS resource.

Almost one in five patients were treated and safely discharged before an ambulance was required, helping to free up NHS resources for more urgent cases.

Tom Willis, Head of Clinical Standards for St John Ambulance, who is leading the Norfolk scheme and is also an active co-responder, said the dedicated vehicle would help volunteers reach patients quickly and begin care sooner.

“This scheme is about working in partnership with our NHS colleagues to provide additional support where it is most needed, helping to improve outcomes for patients while also easing pressure on frontline resources,” he said.

“The early results we are seeing are very encouraging. Our teams are reaching patients quickly, providing immediate care, and in some cases resolving incidents without the need for an ambulance to attend.”

Tom Barker, Head of Co-Response for EEAST, said Norfolk’s size and rural geography made co-responders an important part of emergency care.

“During the pilot, St John Ambulance co-responders have delivered vital early interventions and made a real difference in situations where minutes count,” he said.

Jeanette Griggs, National Corporate and Public Sector Manager at BYD, said the company was proud to support the trial and the work of St John Ambulance in local communities.

The co-responder pilot is currently running for an initial six-month period and will help build evidence for the potential expansion of similar schemes elsewhere in England.