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Courses are also held at Headquarters Ambulance Station, 142, Waterloo Road,
Lambeth, and at County Hall.
Ambulance Section training is classified under two main headings (1) First-aid
training (2) Ambulance training. Ten first-aid courses have been completed and a
further six have been arranged. 120 volunteers have passed the first-aid examination
held at the end of each course and, when the six courses mentioned are completed in
May, 1952, this figure should approach 200. After completing the ten weeks full firstaid
course, volunteers then take a short (four weeks) practical first-aid revision course.
Four of these courses have been arranged.
One short course of Ambulance Section training has been completed and others
are being arranged but the emphasis so far has been upon ensuring that, as far as
possible, volunteers are fully trained in first-aid before progressing to ambulance
work proper.
Training of
peace-time
staff
The first course of basic Civil Defence training for the peace-time operative staff
of the Service was commenced on 19th February, 1951, when ten members of the
operative staff attended a week's course. Forty-two courses have now been held and
386 members of the operative staff have been fully trained. Lectures are given by two
Ambulance Station Officers who have been seconded for Civil Defence duties and who
have attended one of the Home Office Civil Defence Schools and qualified as
instructors.
Conclusions
Thus it will be seen that, while the peace-time operative staff who are fully
qualified in first-aid and general ambulance work are undergoing basic general Civil
Defence training, volunteers who have already completed their basic training with
the metropolitan borough councils are receiving instruction in first-aid and ambulance
duties so that, in the event of an emergency, both would be fully trained in the many
and varied duties which the staff of an integrated ambulance service would be called
upon to carry out.
Statistics
(i) Directly Provided Service
Under this head the Service is divided into two sections—Accident and General.
The Accident Section, as is shown in the analysis below, deals not only with
street accidents and other emergencies but also with the bulk of maternity removals,
including the conveyance of analgesia apparatus to women being confined at home.
All other removals, including the conveyance of persons suffering from infectious
diseases, are dealt with by the General Section.
Comparative statistics for 1938 (the last full year before the war), 1947 (the last
full year before the operation of the National Health Service Act, 1946) and subsequent
years are given in the following tables:

* No. of patients conveyed plus non-patient-oarrying
journeys.
An analysis of the calls reveals that the average time taken to reach the scene of
a street accident was 7.2 minutes, the same as in 1950.