Massive Response To Recruitment Campaign

West Midlands Ambulance Service has been stunned by the level of response to its latest recruitment drive.

The Trust announced the week before Christmas that it was looking to recruit 150 emergency care assistants over the next few months. By the beginning of January over 300 people had rung, e-mailed and visited the service website asking for an application form.

The recruitment drive equates to an increase of more than five per cent in the number of Accident and Emergency crew members in the West Midlands. The move comes as the service expands to meet increasing demand for 999 services.

Trust Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh said, "Services are being expanded with over 60 new ambulances and 30 rapid response vehicles being delivered this year and more will be ordered in 2008. We are training our staff to ever higher levels with 130 becoming paramedics last year and a similar number will be trained in 2008-09."