St John Ambulance is launching a pilot programme across Greater Manchester to help meet increasing demand for event healthcare services.
The time-limited pilot will test the use of paid Casual Responders to strengthen workforce capacity in Greater Manchester, including Oldham and Tameside.
The initiative supports St John Ambulance's ambition to increase its impact and provide care to more than 70,000 patients a year by 2028, while ensuring volunteers remain at the heart of event delivery.
The pilot will create a more flexible workforce model, combining volunteers and paid responders to help meet peaks in demand during the busiest periods of event activity.
Those interested in applying to be a Casual Responder must already have an Immediate Response Emergency Care Level 3 (IREC3) qualification.
They will support event delivery when additional capacity is needed, helping St John to provide healthcare cover at more events and in more communities.
"Our volunteers remain at the heart of St John Ambulance, and this pilot is not about replacing volunteer roles," said Gareth Barker, the charity’s Head of Event Healthcare.
"As demand for event healthcare continues to grow, we need the flexibility to deploy the right mix of skilled people at the right time.
“By combining our dedicated volunteers with a small pool of qualified paid responders, we can strengthen our capacity, support more events, and reach more patients while continuing to put volunteers at the centre of everything we do."
To apply for a Casual Responder role, visit https://www.sja.org.uk/vacancy/317292/. Closing date for applications is July 16, 2026.
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