St John Ambulance in England

St John Ambulance
England and the Islands

Logo of St John Ambulance England and the Islands
Formation	1877
Type	Charitable organisation Limited company
Headquarters	Registered Office: St John's Gate, Clerkenwell, London EC1M 4DA Headquarters: 27 St John's Lane, Clerkenwell, London EC1M 4BU
Location	England
Membership	Not reported since 2012
Chief Volunteer	Mr Mick Messenger
Key people	Sue Killen (CEO)
Affiliations	St John Ambulance Johanniter International
Revenue	£91.4m per annum
Staff	1682
Website	http://www.sja.org.uk

St John Ambulance is a volunteer-led, charitable non-governmental organisation dedicated to the teaching and practice of first aid in England. Along with St. Andrew's First Aid in Scotland, St John Ambulance in Wales and St John Ambulance Northern Ireland, St John Ambulance is one of four affiliates of the international St. John Ambulance movement in the United Kingdom. The organisation is a subsidiary of The Priory of England and the Islands of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, a registered charity, (part of the worldwide Venerable Order of St John) which also oversees similar activities in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

The St John Ambulance Association was set up in 1877 by the Venerable Order of Saint John to teach industrial workers first aid, so that they could provide on-the-spot treatment in emergencies. Workers rarely had ready access to a doctor in 19th century workplaces, and since accidents were frequent, death or disability from injuries were common. The St John Ambulance Association set up training sessions across the country, particularly in workplaces in areas of heavy industry, but also in villages, seaside towns and suburban areas.

In 1887, trained volunteers were organised into a uniformed Brigade to provide a first aid and ambulance service at public events. In many parts of England (and in parts of Scotland, until 1908), St John Ambulance was the first and only provider of an ambulance service right up to the middle of the 20th century, when the National Health Service was founded. When there were far fewer doctors and hospital beds than today, St John Ambulance nurses looked after the sick and injured in their own homes.

The St John Ambulance Brigade and St John Ambulance Association merged in 1968 to form St John Ambulance, a single organisation providing both training and first aid cover.

During 2013, St John Ambulance trained approximately 278,000 adults through its workplace and community first aid programmes, and directly trained 91,000 schoolchildren. St John Ambulance personnel attended 45,000 public events, treating approximately 102,000 individuals. It also distributed 100,000 free first aid guides nationwide and its free smartphone app was downloaded by 148,000 people.