Warwick Medical School students help save a life through Community First Responder (CFR) Scheme
Two Warwick Medical School students are being recognised for helping to successfully resuscitate a patient while volunteering as Community First Responders (CFRs), a rare and life-saving outcome that highlights both the impact of the scheme and the value of hands-on clinical experience.
Max Cameron and Ryan Topple were on shift in March 2026 when they were called to what was initially reported as a choking incident. On arrival, they quickly realised the patient was in cardiac arrest.
“We arrived first on scene to find that the patient was unresponsive and didn’t have a pulse. So, we immediately started our basic life support algorithms,” Ryan, WMS CFR Co-ordinator explained. As a trained paramedic before studying medicine at Warwick, he brings valuable experience to the scheme.
The students began CPR immediately, working together before ambulance crews arrived. Over the course of the call, the response team grew to include paramedics, doctors and rapid response units, leading to a coordinated effort that resulted in a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), meaning the patient regained a pulse.
“It was an amazing crew to be with. Everyone had their dedicated roles and thankfully, we ended up having a ROSC,” Ryan added.
A rare outcome with real impact
Successful resuscitation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests is uncommon, making the outcome particularly significant.
“This is quite a rare event. For all of the West Midlands in March, we were the only ROSC that month,” Ryan said.
Simon Brake, Warwick Medical School lead for the scheme, also achieved a ROSC while responding to a patient in November 2025, highlighting the importance of early intervention.
“For the two unresponsive patients that the students and I worked with, it would have been a completely different story had we not been there,” he said. “It was lovely to be recognised… with a letter of thanks from the Chief Executive of West Midlands Ambulance Service.”
Learning in real-world conditions
For Max, Lead for CFR Marketing and Fundraising, the incident was his first experience of a cardiac arrest in practice.
“This was my very first cardiac arrest situation as a second-year medical student. Within seconds, we ascertained that you had to get hands on chest and started,” he said.
“As the majority of our calls are high acuity, there’s a very good chance we will be attending these kinds of serious events,” Ryan added. “Which gives medical students the opportunity to be involved in emergency situations early on in their training, which might normally come much later in their course of study.”
This provides invaluable experience in clinical skills, teamwork, decision-making and communication in real NHS settings.
Supporting the NHS and the local community
Run in partnership with West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS), the volunteer-led scheme includes around 30 Warwick Medical School students, who typically commit around 16 hours a month.
Responders operate within a 15-mile radius, often arriving before ambulance crews and providing critical early care.
“In these types of calls, time is of the essence — seconds will change the outcome,” Ryan said.
Training, governance, and support
Students receive training through WMAS and ongoing support and oversight from the medical school.
“We’ve gone for an approach where students volunteer mostly in twos to ensure there is an additional layer of pastoral care and support,” Simon explained.
New volunteers train alongside experienced responders before being signed off, ensuring they are confident using equipment and managing callouts.
Shaping future doctors
The scheme is helping to develop confident, capable future doctors by giving students early exposure to real clinical responsibility.
While outcomes like ROSC remain rare, Warwick Medical School’s Community First Responders are making a meaningful difference every day — supporting the NHS, strengthening community care, and turning student learning into real-world impact.