St John Ambulance is a volunteer-led, charitable non-governmental organisation dedicated to the teaching and practice of first aid and the support of the national emergency response system in England. Along with St John Ambulance Cymru, St John Ambulance Northern Ireland, and St John Scotland, it is one of four United Kingdom affiliates of the international St John Ambulance movement.
The St John Ambulance Association was founded in 1877 to provide first aid training. In 1887, the St John Ambulance Brigade was founded to provide uniformed medics at public events. In 1968, the two were merged into the present foundation. The organisation is a subsidiary of the England and the Islands priory (i.e. branch) of the Order of St John. Until 2012, it also managed St John Ambulance services in the Isle of Man and Channel Islands.
History
The St John Ambulance Association was set up in 1877 by the Venerable Order of Saint John to teach industrial workers first aid so that they could provide on-the-spot treatment in emergencies. Workers rarely had ready access to a doctor in 19th-century workplaces, and since accidents were frequent, death or disability from injuries was common. The organisation in Ipswich was founded in 1880.
In 1887, trained volunteers were organised into a uniformed Brigade to provide a first aid and ambulance service at public events. In many parts of England (and in parts of Scotland, until 1908), St John Ambulance was the first and only provider of an ambulance service right up to the middle of the 20th century, when the National Health Service was founded. When there were far fewer doctors and hospital beds than today, St John Ambulance nurses looked after the sick and injured in their own homes.
The St John Ambulance Brigade and St John Ambulance Association merged in 1968 to form St John Ambulance, a single organisation providing both training and first aid cover.
In 1998, members of a paedophile ring which operated from within the St John Ambulance Brigade for several decades were arrested by police. The ring was headed by Leslie Gaines, superintendent of the Farnborough Division of the Brigade in Hampshire.
A significant restructure in 2012 consolidated 43 counties into eight large regions; these regions were then further merged during 2016 into four regions. During 2013, St John Ambulance trained approximately 278,000 adults through its workplace and community first aid programmes, and directly trained 91,000 schoolchildren. St John Ambulance personnel attended 45,000 public events, treating approximately 102,000 individuals. It also distributed 100,000 free first aid guides nationwide and its free smartphone app was downloaded by 148,000 people.
Key dates
1540: The original Order of St John, the Knights Hospitallers is disbanded in England by Henry VIII 1826: An idea to re-establish the Order within England is put forward by some remaining French Knights of the original worldwide Order 1841: The "St John's Day Declaration" is prepared to seek official recognition of the new Order by the original Order, now known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta 10 July 1877: St John Ambulance Association forms to teach first-aid in large railway centres and mining districts June 1887: St John Ambulance Brigade is formed 14 May 1888: English Order of St John is granted a royal charter by Queen Victoria 1908: By reciprocal agreement, St John Ambulance Brigade ceases to operate in Scotland and St Andrew's Ambulance Association ceases to operate in England March 1922: St John Ambulance Cadets is formed 1968: The Association and Brigade merge to form a unified St John Ambulance January 1987: Badger Setts are introduced to celebrate 100 years since the formation of the Brigade 1999: The Priory of England and the Islands is formed 2012: St John Ambulance changes its county structure to a regionalised model across England 2017–2018: Celebration of the organisation's 140th anniversary
Community first responders
St John Ambulance community first responders (CFRs) are trained volunteers who provide emergency treatment to people in their region and are dispatched by NHS ambulance control to medical emergency (999) calls, with the scheme operating as a community partnership between St John Ambulance and local ambulance service trusts. CFRs are dispatched to attend Category 1 "immediately life-threatening" calls such as cardiac arrest, diabetic emergency, unresponsive patient, breathing difficulties and seizures.