This April we are shining a spotlight on the Staff Network Groups at London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS).
The Staff Network Groups at LAS
Our five Staff Network Groups exist to provide a forum for colleagues who share a protected characteristic and their allies to come together to support each other and to share their experiences of working for the Trust.
The Networks can also raise issues faced by their members and influence Trust policies and procedures.
We hold a monthly Staff Networks Development Group, chaired by our Director of Communications and Engagement and Associate Director of Culture, Diversity and Inclusion, which is attended by all our Staff Network Group chairs. This provides a forum for chairs to share best practice and to escalate any issues they have.
We have secured funding for each Network from the LAS Charity to spend on their priorities, such as training courses or holding events celebrating their identities.
We have agreed to provide protected time for Network Chairs each month away from their duties to focus on the work needed to successfully run their groups.
Each Network has produced a terms of reference document to support their Chairs and core members.
We have appointed Executive Leads for each Network to support, guide and champion them throughout the organisation.
- B-ME Network – Daniel Elkeles, Chief Executive Officer
- Christian Fellowship – Damian McGuinness, Director of People and Culture
- EnAbled Network – Fenella Wrigley, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer
- LGBT Network – Antony Tiernan, Director of Communications and Engagement
- Women’s Network – John Martin, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Paramedic and Quality Officer
We will form a Multi-Faith Staff Network Group, as we have had expressions of interest from Jewish and Muslim colleagues who wish to form groups similar to the Christian Fellowship. This Network will support staff of all faiths, and have sub-groups within for different faith communities. It is our ambition to appoint a Multi-Faith Chaplain to provide emotional, pastoral and religious support to our staff.
Our new Emerald Society for Irish colleagues has been incorporated as a constituent group of the B-ME Staff Network Group both for governance reasons and so the B-ME Network chairs can support the chair and core members of the Emerald Society as they grow.
We’ll continue to post our Spotlight updates each month in our website’s News section and via Twitter at @AACE_Org.
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.
