First aid cover - terms and conditions

Members of St John Ambulance give their time and skill on a voluntary basis. The charges set out below are in respect of operational costs only.

These costs include the purchase, operation, and replacement of ambulances, first aid units, medical equipment, uniforms, personal protective wear, and insurance. In addition, they make a contribution to the costs of training, insurance, and administrative overheads.

Standard charges

Standard charges are made for events where the primary purpose is to provide a public or community benefit or to facilitate the enjoyment of members.

These events will usually be run by charities, clubs, or societies. Examples are school and village fetes, community festivals, and amateur sporting events.

In specific circumstances, where an event is organised by a charity whose aims and objectives are in accordance with the healthcare charitable objectives of St John Ambulance, a further discretionary discount may be applied.

Commercial charges

These are applicable to those events where the primary purpose is to make a profit for the owners, stakeholders, or shareholders of a company, business, or organisation.

Commercial entrance fees will apply to these events and they will be run by paid staff. Examples are pop concerts, trade and commercial promotions, theatre and cinema attendance, and professional sporting events.

These charges will also apply to the provision of First Aiders as temporary cover for statutory First Aiders in the workplace.

Level of cover

On receipt of a request for duty cover, a duty information sheet will be sent to you and this must be returned to us within 14 days.

A risk assessment will then be carried out based on the information you have provided. Normally, this will allow us to determine an appropriate level of cover for your event but it may also be necessary to arrange a meeting and/or site visit (this risk assessment does not absolve you of your own responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work Act to carry out your own risk assessment).

Refusal of cover

Whilst we are committed to making every effort to assist you, we may be unable to do so because of workload, the limited availability of volunteers, or the short notice provided. We may also feel as a consequence of our risk assessment, that the event presents an unacceptable risk to our members. In these circumstances we will advise you of our decision in writing as soon as possible.

Acceptance of the duty

Once the appropriate level of cover has been determined, a quotation will be sent to you based on the requested duration of the duty and our schedule of hourly rates. Please note that there is a minimum charge equivalent to four hours of cover. Should you wish to accept this quotation, please sign and return it to us within 14 days. If we do not receive it within this period and you have not contacted us, we will assume that you do not wish to use our services and the duty request will be deleted. Once we receive your signed quotation, we will confirm in writing our acceptance of the duty.

Terms of payment

After the event, we will invoice you in accordance with our original quotation unless additional cover has been provided or the level of cover has been varied.

If an event continues beyond the stated finishing time, it must be clearly understood that cover will only be continued at the discretion of the St John Ambulance Duty Officer. If cover is extended by agreement, the invoice will be adjusted to include the additional duration at the standard hourly rate.

Payment is due within 30 days of the invoice date and all charges are subject to VAT. Should you wish to make any payment in excess of the invoice amount, this will be treated as a charitable donation and will not be liable for VAT.

Charges for late cancellation

We reserve the right to make a charge for cancellation at short notice as resources will already have been committed. No charge will be made if written cancellation is received by us at least 14 days before the event. If written cancellation is received at least seven days before the event, 25% of the quotation is payable, and if cancellation occurs less than 7 days before the event, 50% of the quotation is payable. If cancellation is due to weather conditions on the day, we reserve the right to charge for the time our personnel are in attendance.

Your responsibilities on the day

You must ensure that your event is properly controlled and that all risks to our personnel are minimised. In particular, you must comply with any request by our personnel to stop the event to allow necessary treatment and care to take place in safe conditions. You must also advise us of any other contracted healthcare providers at the event and ensure that our vehicles have unrestricted access and exit from your site at all times.