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At just a few years into his career with North West Ambulance Service, Unsung Hero Josh Verdes-Reinke has already built a reputation for serving communities and colleagues not only within ambulance control, but across a network of volunteering, staff advocacy and community first response work that stretches far beyond his day job.
Until recently, he worked as an Integrated Contact Centre call handler, taking both 111 and 999 calls into the ambulance service. Since then, he has stepped into being an area dispatch lead, overseeing the deployment of emergency and non-emergency resources across a large geographical area and acting as a critical incident manager during major incidents.
On a day-to-day basis, the role involves coordinating ambulance dispatch, specialist resources and traffic response vehicles, while maintaining oversight of operational pressures as they develop in real time. It is fast-moving work, and one that sits at the centre of some of the biggest pressures currently facing ambulance services.
“You want to get to everyone as quickly as you can,” he told me. “It’s what we do. It’s our goal.”
The difficulty, he explained, is balancing that instinct with the operational reality of finite resources and fluctuating demand. Public conversations around ambulance delays can sometimes oversimplify what is happening behind the scenes, particularly when isolated examples become representative of an entire system.
Prioritisation is unavoidable for dispatch teams, as every call matters, but not every patient requires the same level of response. That balancing act requires not only clinical judgement and resilience but emotional discipline. Verdes-Reinke believes compassion is central to the role, particularly in control room environments where staff may spend entire shifts speaking to people at some of the worst moments of their lives.
“You have to treat each patient as an individual. There’s not one answer for everyone.”
At the same time, the pressures can be relentless. Repeat callers, high demand and difficult decisions all form part of the reality of ambulance control work. Verdes-Reinke maintains perspective by remembering the reason behind every call.
“You are there to help someone,” he said. “Every second counts.”
Alongside his operational role, Verdes-Reinke has built up extensive volunteering commitments across the emergency services sector. Over the years, he has volunteered with British Red Cross, St John Ambulance and the North West Air Ambulance Charity, while also taking on a leadership role within the North West First Responder Group, where he currently serves as deputy chief operating officer.
Some roles have evolved or fallen away as work pressures increased, but community first response remains a major focus. The charity supports volunteers responding to medical emergencies across areas including Liverpool, Chester, Ellesmere Port and Carlisle, while also delivering CPR awareness sessions and installing defibrillators within communities. He’s seen first hand just how important volunteers can be to patient outcomes.
“In my experience, in three out of four incidents they attend, first responders arrive before the nearest ambulance.”
Speed can be critical in cardiac arrests and other category one emergencies, where survival rates decrease significantly with every passing minute. Even where volunteers are limited in what they can clinically provide, he says their presence alone matters.
“Being there, being reassuring to family members, doing what they can do in the first minutes, does make a difference,” he said.
Verdes-Reinke sees community first response as an increasingly important part of the wider emergency care landscape. Alongside frontline response, the charity has focused heavily on prevention and preparedness, including free CPR training and expanding access to public defibrillators.
Alongside volunteering, Verdes-Reinke has also taken on advocacy roles within the ambulance service itself, serving as a union representative, health and safety officer and contributor to several staff support networks. Much of that work centres around wellbeing, inclusion and ensuring staff feel valued within a high-pressure environment.
One initiative highlighted in his award nominations was a “daily dose of kindness” project, where he sent messages of appreciation to colleagues across the organisation, recognising their work and contributions. The idea spread organically, encouraging others to do the same.
In Verdes-Reinke’s experience, meaningful change often comes through small actions rather than large gestures. Whether supporting staff, advocating for volunteers or speaking to patients on the phone, recognising the person behind the role or the incident is key.
“They’re not just a number. They are a member of staff. They are a patient.”
That outlook has shaped his own progression through the ambulance service. He joined North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust in 2023, already bringing previous management experience despite being relatively early in his career. While he says progression was not always straightforward, particularly during a major restructure within the control room, the experience ultimately reinforced the kind of leader he wants to become.
“There have been negatives for me,” he admitted, recalling periods where the pressure led him to consider leaving altogether. But support from colleagues, combined with a strong sense of purpose, kept him in the sector.
Both his operational role and volunteer work continue to expand. The North West First Responder Group is now exploring larger initiatives including CPR marathons, cardiac screening programmes and dedicated emergency response vehicles for community responders.
Despite the pressures of working for an ambulance service, and the difficulty of balancing multiple volunteering roles with his job, Verdes-Reinke is keen to continue dedicating himself to patient care, whether as a first responder or a dispatch lead. His nominations speak to how he champions others, puts patients first, and leads with respect for the role he is in and the colleagues he works alongside.
Stay tuned for more interviews with Unsung Heroes who were nominated at The Emergency Services show in 2025. The Emergency Services Show 2026 is taking place from 16-17 September at the NEC in Birmingham. Register your interest to attend here.
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