The AACE oversees a broad range of national workstreams as outlined below.
Each workstream is overseen by a Chief Executive, who maintains a watching brief over the national group and associated sub-groups.
National Workstreams
- Communications
Chief Executive Lead: Martin Flaherty / Anna Parry, AACE
Director Lead: Julie Hollings, East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Purpose
- To provide specialist advice and support to the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) on matters relating to strategic communications in supporting the direction of travel for ambulance services
- To deliver against a pre-agreed milestone plan providing reports to the AACE every four months
- To act as a community of interest to: share best practice, expertise and information; extend communications skills and knowledge; and provide mutual aid
- To co-ordinate handling strategies (including media management and stakeholder engagement activities) to manage public perceptions and understanding of ambulance issues which seek to protect the positive reputation of ambulance services nationally
- To provide specialist advice and support to the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) on matters relating to strategic communications in supporting the direction of travel for ambulance services
- Finance
Chief Executive Lead: Daren Mochrie, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Director Lead: Carolyn Wood, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Purpose
The purpose of the National Directors of Finance Group is to provide collective leadership for NHS finance in ambulance services in England working in collaboration with the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE).
It also has an important role in advising the AACE on specific topics as delegated to the Directors of Finance Group. In addition, the Directors of Finance Group will make suggestions to the AACE on its proposed work programmes for individual financial years.
- Operations
Chief Executive Lead: Jason Killens, Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Director Lead: Ben Holdaway, East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Purpose
The purpose of the National Directors of Operations Group (NDOG) is to provide specialist advice and support to the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) and to carry out specific work associated with the delivery of operational ambulance services.
- National Ambulance Diversity & Inclusion Forum
Chief Executive Lead: Daniel Elkeles, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Purpose
To provide strategic leadership in relation to equality, diversity and human rights to English ambulance services.
- Human Resources
Chief Executive Lead: Tom Abell, East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Director Lead: Kerry Gulliver, East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Purpose
The purpose of the National Directors of Human Resources’ (HRD) Group is to provide specialist advice and support to the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) and to carry out specific work associated with the delivery of human resource, organisational development, education, training and development activity throughout ambulance services in England.
Areas of focus:
- Alongside the National Ambulance Diversity Forum, to recruit, develop and support a workforce that is representative of the communities we serve.
- To improve the workforce planning and supply for the ambulance sector.
- Developing the culture of the workforce.
- Improving the health and wellbeing of the workforce.
- National Digital Leaders' Group
Chief Executive Lead: Simon Weldon, South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Director Lead: Stephen Bromhall, East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Purpose
The purpose of the Information Management and Information Technology (IM&T) Leads’ Group is to support the implementation of local IM&T workstreams by monitoring national programmes and sharing best practice across the ambulance services.
- Medical
Chief Executive Lead: Richard Henderson, East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Director Lead: Fenella Wrigley, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Purpose
The purpose of the National Ambulance Services Medical Directors’ Group (NASMeD) is to improve clinical safety and quality of care by reducing unwarranted variation and sharing best practice across the English ambulance services.
- Quality Improvement, Governance and Risk
Chief Executive Lead: Helen Ray, North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust / Michal Bloomfield, Northern Ireland Ambulance Service
Director Lead: Melissa Dowdeswell, North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Purpose
The purpose of the Group is to provide a leadership role to UK ambulance services in relation to quality, governance and risk management, within the overarching strategic framework of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE).
- Resilience
Chief Executive Lead: Dr Anthony Marsh, West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust
Director Lead: Keith Prior, Director, National Ambulance Resilience Unit (NARU)
Purpose
NARU will support the resilience objectives of NHS England, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives and Ambulance Commissioners. In addition NARU will also provide support to the UK’s Civil Resilience and counter-terrorism (CONTEST) strategies and the Health commitments and the National Security Council.
- Strategy and Transformation
Chief Executive Lead: Daniel Elkeles, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Director Lead: Will Legge, East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Purpose:
The purpose of the National Ambulance Strategy and Transformation Group (NASAT) is to provide the National Ambulance sector, through AACE, with guidance, advice, recommended strategic direction and positioning in relation to the Urgent and Emergency environment (U&EC).
For more information about the Workstream Groups click here.
