A new volunteer responder app has been piloted in 46 Community First Responder schemes across Scotland, with outcomes including a “significant boost” to community emergency response, the Scottish Ambulance Service has shared, supporting plans for national roll-out in June 2026.
The pilot, which ran from November 2025 to February 2026, reportedly resulted in a 36 percent increase in volunteer response to incidents, translating to 786 more patients receiving assistance over the four-month period. 23 percent of volunteers logged longer hours over the pilot period, and improvements in response times were also observed, which the ambulance service puts down to the app’s “more accurate” geographical information.
The app replaces the Airwave Data Only terminals previously in use for volunteer dispatch, and the service notes that 60.7 percent of volunteers were able to book on as responders in under a minute during the pilot process.
“Our call rate has markedly increased since adopting the app, and we now receive comprehensive patient information and timely updates, including estimated ambulance arrival times,” community first responder Jim Brand states. “It’s been a fantastic introduction and will undoubtably help more people in their time of need.”
The ambulance service also shares that text messages are now in use to gather patient feedback on their experience, via GOV.Notify, to help collect data on how patients are treated, service gaps, resource allocation, and service improvements. So far, text messages have been sent to patients who have used falls pathways, experienced breathing difficulties, been transferred from NHS24, or been triaged through the clinical hub.
Wider trend: Innovation in ambulance services
London Ambulance Service NHS Trust shared outcomes late last year from AI pilots including ambient voice and AI training simulation for staff, along with future ambitions for digital and data, and planned collaborations with the Southern Ambulance Services Collaboration on shared infrastructure, cyber security, and more. A one-year pilot of Tortus AI ambient voice technology is underway across LAS’s clinical hub and ambulance operations, following a successful proof of concept trial funded by the Frontline Digitisation Fund. Pilots at locations including Croydon and Ilford are demonstrating improvements in patients per shift and on-scene to handover times.
South East Coast Ambulance Service also launched a pilot of Tortus’s Ambient Voice solution in its emergency operations centres, looking to free-up clinician time to assist more patients. The tool listens in on conversations, transcribing spoken words into structured medical notes to be checked and approved. According to the trust, this is expected to reduce the amount of time taken by clinicians writing up notes following calls.
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has published its Strategic Estates Plan to 2035, outlining its future state vision and plans for a strategic hub model enabled by technology. Over the next ten years, EMAS will focus on moving to fewer, “better” hubs and community standby points to support a data-led and mobile response model. Infrastructure modernisation will help to enhance patient care, improve operational efficiency, and support workforce development, the trust notes. EMAS commits to future-proofing its estate with targeted investment, investing in stations to make sure they are fit for the future and support teams to work effectively, including options for home working and flexible work spaces.
