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Staff
At 5 July 1948 the total fixed establishment of staff was 642 made up as follows:
Administrative staff Uniformed staff
Officer-in-Charge 1 Chief Superintendent 1
Assistant Officer-in-Charge 1 Superintendents 6
Administrative and clerical 21 Assistant Superintendents 6
Supervisor, Control Room 1 Station Officers 21
Assistant Supervisor, Control Room 1 Driver/attendants 514
Senior Ambulance Clerks 16
Ambulance Clerks 53
The subsequent great increase in the volume of work undertaken and various developments
of the Service have led to the enhancement of staff numbers in most grades and by
the end of 1964 the establishment was as follows:
Administrative staff Uniformed staff
Officer-in-Charge 1 Chief Superintendent 1
Assistant Officer-in-Charge 1 Assistant Chief Superintendent 2
Administrative and clerical 31 Superintendents 8
Supervisor, Control Room 1 Senior Assistant Superintendents 20
Assistant Supervisor, Control Room 1 Assistant Superintendents 5
Ambulance Control Officers 78 Station Officers 25
Station Sub-Officers 28
Driver/attendants 749
In addition the establishment provides for 11 staff in domestic grades at Headquarters and general
stations.
In practice, owing to sickness and holiday reliefs it has been necessary to employ a larger
number of driver/attendants than indicated in the establishment.
In addition to an increase of about 45 per cent in the establishment of driver/attendants,
the greater number of supervisory staff now provided for has come about in consequence of
the introduction of a full training scheme (see below) and because of closer supervision
which it is now possible to undertake to the benefit of the Service as a whole. Certain
redesignations have taken place since 1948 and in some instances new positions introduced.
Thus in 1954 the grade of 'leading driver' was first created to help superintendents,
particularly on yard supervision; this grade was re-titled 'station sub-officer' in 1963.
There are now 28 such officers, three at each general station and Fulham, the remainder at
Headquarters. Other additions in supervisory grades have been in respect of instructional
staff at the training school and training stations and in consequence of a system of visiting
officers. Four of these, in the rank of senior assistant superintendent, are known as hospital
visiting officers and undertake much useful liaison work with the many hospitals in the
county. This system is regarded as having been notably successful. Seven positions of
senior assistant superintendent are filled by duty officers who provide a 24-hour rota at
Headquarters, as well as a rota of visiting officers throughout the day and night whose
duties include visiting stations and hospital casualty departments.
Training—One of the great changes over the years has concerned the arrangements for
new entrants to the London Ambulance Service. In 1948, in common with other ambulance
services, new entrants acted as a ' third man ' with an experienced crew and picked up what
knowledge they could until their station officer felt they were proficient. They had to
obtain a first aid certificate in their own time within six months of entry. In February, 1951
basic civil defence training for men already in the Service commenced and the 42 one-week
courses held in that year were attended by 386 men. This training continued throughout
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