As part of our work in valuing difference and celebrating diversity, Chief Executives, Chairs and leadership teams across UK Ambulance Services have pledged to play a fundamental role in the achievement of positive and lasting change in stamping out racism – acting at both national and local levels.
We have made five promises, the five Rs which we have been working on delivering:
- Raising awareness
By creating opportunities for discussion, listening and learning.
- Responding
By campaigning for lasting, positive change and improved experience for our BME workforce and communities, taking a stand against racism, race discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
- Representing
By improving access to jobs, training and education, career progression and wellbeing support for our BME workforce and members of our diverse communities to ensure greater representation across our services.
- Respecting
By putting respect and compassion at the heart of our systems, processes, organisation, behaviours, and cultures to enable BME people to be confident, feel valued and express their true selves in the workplace.
- Responsibility
By promising to call out racism in all its forms and to challenge racist behaviour whenever we encounter it or are made aware of it to create and nurture an anti-racist culture across the ambulance service.
In the second week of October 2021, we held our annual National Ambulance BME Forum conference. The conference gave us the opportunity to share experience and knowledge, creating opportunities for discussion, listening and learning; our first anti-racism promise.
From November onwards, in the second week of each month we will be shining a spotlight on the actions individual trusts have taken and the work we are doing to fulfil our anti-racism promises, promote inclusion and to drive equity in patient care.
We know that the experience of our own staff links directly to the experience of the communities we serve and we are determined to ensure a fair and inclusive culture for all.
You can find more information about our anti-racism promises, along with messages from all of our Ambulance Trust CEOs on our Stamping Out Racism page.
We’ll continue to post updates each month in our website’s News section and via Twitter at @AACE_Org.
