Jamie Arrowsmith – Tuesday 9th September 2025 – 9am.
To help mark Emergency Services Day, West Midlands Ambulance Service is celebrating one of its longest-serving staff members who has dedicated half a century to caring for others.
Having completed an incredible 50 years of ambulance service in April, 72-year-old Ray Lloyd, from Birmingham, has cared for thousands of patients in their most critical moments. Not content with that, he has also spent 30 years fulfilling two important support roles for his colleagues. A Union representative for 30 years, he has also been part of the Trust’s Staff Advice and Liaison Service, a 24/7 confidential service that is manned by volunteers to support staff with any issues they may be facing.
Ray’s career began in April 1975 as a Miller, equivalent to a technician role today, working out of Henrietta Street in Birmingham for the then West Midlands Metropolitan Ambulance Service.
He went on to become one of the first paramedics in the country and helped establish and launch some key sections of the modern ambulance world, including Clinical Team Mentors and Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART).
Reflecting on his career, Ray said: “There’s been a lot of change since when I started, no doubt about that, but it has been incredibly enjoyable. It’s a job for life, and it has given me a good life.
“I enjoy meeting people, I’m not the sort of person who would like to work in an office or a factory because I like to get out and about and do and see different things, so the career has suited me well.
“It’s also why I’ve been happy to take on the other roles to help support colleagues, because I’m a people person and I like to be able to offer support to others, whether that is patients or staff.”
Whilst always happy to help a fellow human, Ray describes being faced with more than 30 bulls who had got free from overturned lorry on the motorway as one of the more interesting moments of his career, but it is a career he said he would highly recommend.
“To anyone thinking of becoming a paramedic or joining the ambulance service I would say absolutely go for it, especially if you enjoy meeting people, it’s a really good career.”
And it’s a career that Ray isn’t ready to call time on just yet, adding: “How long will I go on for? I’m not sure, but I’ve got no plans of calling it a day just yet. As long as I can remain physically fit, I’m happy to carry on and keep helping people for as long as I can.”
As the Trust celebrates Emergency Services Day, Ray’s remarkable career is a reminder of the extraordinary dedication shown by all staff across the organisation who put others first every single day.
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