Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom
Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom provide emergency care to people with acute illness or injury and are predominantly provided free at the point of use by the four National Health Services (NHS) of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Emergency care including ambulance and emergency department treatment is only free to UK residents and a charge may be made to those not entitled to free NHS care.
One of London Ambulance Service's frontline vehicles
The London Air Ambulance in action
Peugeot Ambulance of the Scottish Ambulance Service
A paramedic's motorcycle in Birmingham in 2008
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. They may also be known as a first aid squad, FAST squad, emergency squad, ambulance squad, ambulance corps, life squad or by other initialisms such as EMAS or EMARS.
Chicago Fire Department paramedics transporting a patient on a stretcher
A drawing of one of Larrey's ambulances volantes
A horse-drawn Bellevue Hospital ambulance in New York City, 1895
A Royal Navy ambulance during World War I