AACE’s Anna Parry tells NHE about improving employee mental health in Ambulance Services


It’s no secret that all areas of the NHS have been immensely affected by Covid-19, whether that’s the increased demand, added pressure on workloads, or managing mental health and wellbeing during such a difficult period.

But the national NHS Staff Survey 2020 results showed that the ambulance sector was hit particularly hard in terms of how to deal with their own mental health and wellbeing.

This comes as no surprise given the emotive situations ambulance staff are faced with day in and out, sometimes not knowing what their next job will entail or when they will get a break.

But how can this be better managed, and what are some of the reasonings behind some of the figures?

NHE spoke to Anna Parry, Deputy Managing Director and lead for employee mental health, Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), about what AACE already has in place, what the challenges are, as well as breaking down some of the survey results.

Ambulance trusts were also keen to share how staff are being supported when struggling with their mental health, and where we go moving forward.

Read the full piece in the PDF here (starts page 34) or use the online version here.