St John Ambulance SA Ltd Annual Report 2024-25

Professor Hugh Grantham Chair of Training

Chair of Training Report

One of the primary purposes of the work we do at St John is to give people the skills and confidence to save lives. Whether through the quick actions of our volunteers at an event or the calm, capable response of a member of the public whom we have trained in first aid, our impact is seen every day in the lives protected and the lives saved in our community. Education remains at the core of that purpose. The quality of our teaching determines the confidence and competence of those who respond in moments that matter most. This year, our training teams have continued to strengthen both the breadth and the depth of what we deliver, ensuring that every St John course meets the highest standards of relevance, accessibility, and clinical accuracy. Our Commercial First Aid Trainers engage with members of the public every day, imparting vital first aid knowledge that strengthens community resilience. In fact, more than 41,000 South Australians completed a first aid course with St John in the past year, highlighting the impact these trained individuals can have in their everyday lives. Encouragingly, feedback from training participants has been overwhelmingly positive, with 98.4% satisfaction recorded from more than

1,800 student responses. It is pleasing to see the professionalism and passion of our trainers reflected in this feedback. The introduction of our one-day First Aid for Mental Health course has expanded our training portfolio and responded to growing community demand for skills that promote psychological safety and wellbeing. Within Operations Training, significant work has been undertaken to enhance development pathways for our volunteers. The new rollout of the Event Medic scope of practice training program has enabled a faster and safer transition for paramedicine students into operational practice. An increase in the volunteer trainer cohort has also expanded our internal training capability and improved access to ongoing development across the state. A key innovation this year has been the launch of the New Member Hub trial to improve new member engagement, skills and understanding of operations before they transition into their local teams. In addition, changes allowing volunteers aged 16 and over to join adult teams have opened new pathways for young people eager to begin clinical training earlier and pursue future careers in health.

Annual Report 2024/25

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