Hearts First Ambulance Service is a private ambulance company that has provided services to both NHS and the Private Sector for over a decade. Hearts First has a well-respected and enviable reputation within the private healthcare sector, built up over many years for the quality of service it provides. The company’s mission is to provide the very best level of care together with a cost-efficient transport service to all patients from, or wherever they need to be transferred to, whatever their medical requirements may be.

All our staff are highly trained and qualified to the highest national professional standards. Our repat road staff are expected to have a minimum of 3 years’ service with a front-line ambulance provider prior to working with HFAS. Our PTS all have a minimum of FREC3 qualification. This enables us to deliver the best possible quality of health care, onboard ambulance care/nursing needs, compassion and safety. Our staff are overseen by our medical director – A senior Anaesthetist / Intensivist consultant with a major London hospital with a passion for pre-hospital care.

All our staff are proud to be of service and offer a service to be proud of. They all wish to provide a level of service parallel to none.

Our speciality is long distance transfer services with many, many years of experience within this sector. We are experts in UK wide transfers and also International road transfers. We currently average over 300 UK transfers and over 25 international transfers each month. However, as detailed, we also provide many other services and have equal experience and skills in these other areas

HEARTS FIRST AMBULANCE SERVICES - KEY STRENGTHS:

• 24 Hour operation, 365 days a year with full management support
• A large number of differing vehicles allowing us to tailor our service to individual requirements
• Well-equipped, new ambulance fleet to A&E standards with all vehicles fitted with AED, Adult, Paediatric and Neonatal Patient Monitoring, Suction Units, Ventilators and all other standard ambulance kit
• Specialist trained staff to GMC, NMC, HCPC & IHCD qualifications and standards
• Emergency Blue Light Response Services
• Wealth of years of extremely varied experience within the ambulance profession and industry
• Knowledgeable and skilled Training staff with years of practical “On road” experience.
• Specialist knowledge & experience for European Long-Distance transfers
• Long-Term Partnership arrangements with Eurotunnel and other transport companies

HEARTS FIRST AMBULANCE REPATRIATION SERVICE:

As our specialty is European & UK long distance repatriations, we have a high standard, level service agreements with all our clients. Our clients are international travel insurance companies, most of the UK’s medical assistance companies, European assistance companies, many international Air Ambulance companies and a number of private hospitals both in the UK & abroad.

All our repatriation ambulances have been custom designed & built specifically to facilitate the difficulties with a long-distance journey.

• All vehicles are fully “winter kitted” – this includes winter tyres, snow chains, shovel, heaters etc
• All vehicles have full European insurance & breakdown cover.
• All vehicles carry a spare tyre & jacking equipment (most ambulances don’t)
• All vehicles have the following specs:
• Refreshments – Kettle, tea, coffee, milk etc
• Wi-Fi
• DVD player
• Extra UK plug sockets for charging patients own electronic devices
• Special (pressure relieving) mattresses
  
• All vehicles are fully kitted with standard ambulance emergency equipment including AED, BVM, Suction Units, Oxygen (2 x HX Cylinders), Full Cardiac monitoring equipment, grab bags etc.
• All journeys are carefully assessed and planned prior to departure. Our staff will only drive the maximum hours allowed under the European Driving regulations.
• 2 x four and half hours maximum driving time per driver with a minimum 45-minute break in-between, followed by an 8-hour proper break. With 2 drivers this allows a maximum of an 18-hour trip. We will on occasion, if required, put 3 drivers on a transfer which then allows for each driver to drive 3 x 3 hour driving sessions to make a total maximum trip of 27 hours. We will regularly include a crew change once the ambulance arrives in the UK, allowing the relief crew to complete the UK leg of the transfer.
  
• If prudent and necessary, we recommend an overnight stop for the crew and patient. Depending upon the clinical requirements of the patient, a hospital will be arranged or a hotel. A hotel will only be allowed if the patient is self-mobilising and has a partner to accompany them. We will then arrange for adjoining rooms where the crew will sleep next door with a full medic bag in the room, in case of emergencies. 
• We will make regular comfort breaks on route both for the comfort of the patient and the crew. The patient will always be well taken care of and food and drink will be purchased for them if needed. Basic supplies – water, fruit and biscuits will be provided on board the ambulance. All our vehicles always have bottled water on board for the patient and relatives.
• All quotes are fully inclusive of all travel costs including Eurotunnel/Ferry charges, road tolls and overnight costs for the crew and patient ID required.
• We have special pricing with Eurotunnel as we pre-purchase tickets in bulk. We also have preferential client status with them. All our Eurotunnel tickets (even for single day return trips) are flexi-plus which gives us the flexibility and priority required for these transfers. We will always get priority at either terminal no matter what other issues Eurotunnel might be experiencing.
• Transfers throughout Europe - France, Spain, Austria, Germany, Italy, Poland etc. UK wide and Ireland.
• Bed Admission Service – Our team can assist in arranging bed admissions to any UK hospital.
• Medical escort repatriation services on commercial flights.
• Arranging Air Ambulance Charters.
• Bariatric Transfer Service – Fully equipped Bariatric Ambulance inc. Bariatric Stretcher, Carry Chair, Wheelchair etc.
• ITU Transfer Service – Fully Equipped ITU Ambulance inc. Drager Oxylog Ventilators, Syringe Pumps, Cardiac and ETCO2 Monitoring etc.
• Paediatric Transfers - Paediatric monitoring equipment, baby pod etc.
• High Dependency Unit (HDU) Transport.
• Private Patient Transfer Services. – Nursing Homes / Hospices / Residential Care Homes.
• Airport pickups, relocations, social & corporate events medical transfers.
• Repatriation of vehicles by a fully insured driver, if we are repatriating you as a patient.
• Para-medical Specialities – All staff are qualified with ALS & PALS certification.
• Supply of specialist equipment e.g vacuum body splints, bariatric chairs & stretchers, Spenco travel mattresses, Patient manual handling equipment etc.
• Approved and Fully Insured Airport Airside Patient Transport Services.
• Corporate Cover and Event Medical Cover on special request.
• Expedition and Group Travel Medic Cover.
• First Aid and Pre-Hospital Care Courses in a fully equipped training centre with fully qualified instructors