Difference Between a Basic and an ICU Ambulance

Asking for the wrong type of ambulance wastes time and money. The difference is mostly about equipment and staff.

Basic ambulance

• Stretcher, oxygen cylinder, masks, first aid, suction
• Trained attendant plus driver
• For stable patients: discharges, check-ups, dialysis, fractures, mild illness

ICU ambulance

• Transport ventilator, cardiac monitor, defibrillator, infusion and syringe pumps
• Trained paramedic travelling with the patient
• Emergency medication and full airway kit
• For ventilated, unstable, critical cardiac, neuro and post-operative ICU patients

How to decide

Ask the treating doctor one question: does the patient need monitoring or support during the journey? If the answer is yes — or if the patient is currently on a ventilator or inotropes — you need an ICU unit. If the patient is stable and only needs to lie flat with oxygen, a basic or oxygen ambulance is the right, cheaper choice.

A middle option

An oxygen ambulance sits between the two: continuous oxygen, a nebuliser and saturation monitoring, without the full critical care setup. It suits COPD, pneumonia and post-COVID patients who are stable but oxygen dependent.

Not sure which one to book? Call 0326 514 3944 and describe the patient; we will recommend the right unit rather than the most expensive one.