Belfast Community First Responders

Public benefits

What are the direct benefits flowing from your organisation's purposes? Through the action of responding to call outs from the emergency services, the public are able to receive first aid and emergency medical attention, (e.g. CPR), with a predicted lower wait time. In addition, through improved waiting times, it is considered that patient outcomes

will also be improved due to provision of medical care at a faster rate. What’s more, by providing emergency first aid training to our volunteers we will increase the proportion of competent first aid trainers within the community, effectively improving the overall safety of the general public. Finally, by responding alongside the ambulance service, we will reduce the stress and workload of the emergency services. How can the benefits identified above be demonstrated? The benefits identified can be demonstrated through patient outcome data, satisfaction surveys within the community and charity, as well as feedback and wait time data from the Northern Ireland ambulance service. Is there any harm arising from any of the purposes? While providing care to a patient, there are always associated risks of unintended harm involved. The most relevant example for us would be the chance of rib fractures during CPR, which can occur with even the most experienced professional. To ensure the benefits outweigh the risks, we will undertake constant professional and development training alongside the Northern Ireland ambulance service. Who are the charity's beneficiaries? The charity’s beneficiaries include the general public of Belfast, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, and the volunteers who undergo first response and emergency aid training. Is there any private benefit flowing from any of the purposes? There are no private benefits flowing through the purposes, incidental or otherwise.

What your organisation does

The organisation will receive emergency first response training and development from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, which will allow volunteers to attend emergency call outs alongside the ambulance service, therefore alleviating pressure on a strained work force, whilst helping improve waiting times.