South Central Ambulance Service Given £410,000 to Promote Innovation Paramedics in the South are set to receive a £410,000 grant to pursue innovation projects. NHS Charities Together has allocated South Central Ambulance Charity (SCAC) the investment to support a number of new ventures to improve the service. Upcoming projects which will benefit from the funding include more advanced training programmes for Community First Responders (CFRs) and care home staff, along with 17 new LUCAS 3 mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) devices. The investment will allow South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) to become the first ambulance trust in the UK to train a group of CFRs – members of the public who can care for patients in emergencies before paramedics arrive, sometimes providing lifesaving assistance – in reaching accurate and early diagnoses through diagnostic tests including electrocardiograms (ECGs) and urinalysis. This training will also assist care home staff in discerning whether or not an ambulance is required when treating residents.