On 24 November 2022, an ambulance staff 24/7 crisis phoneline was launched. This new service has been made possible by funding from NHS England and has been commissioned and co-designed by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives on behalf of the NHS ambulance sector.
Established in 2011, AACE was created to provide ambulance services with an organisation that can support, co-ordinate and implement nationally agreed policy. It also provides the general public and other stakeholders with a central resource of information about NHS ambulance services.
Ambulance staff have one of the toughest jobs in the country. As well as life’s usual stresses and strains, the people in our ambulance services also have to deal with long hours, tough working conditions and emotionally draining call outs. However, it’s not only frontline clinicians who can be adversely affected by their job. Increasing demands on our ambulance services are impacting staff members at all levels and in all types of roles.
These pressures can take a toll on the mental health of ambulance service employees, which has been intensified over the last few years by Covid-19; 77% of ambulance staff have said their mental health has got worse since the start of the pandemic [1].
TASC is the national charity dedicated to supporting the mental, physical and financial wellbeing of the UK’s ambulance staff. Every year, mental health support is the charity’s most in-demand service and accounts for around 4 in every 5 interventions they provide.
In just one year, 213 ambulance workers from across a wide range of locations, ages and job roles spoke to TASC about having suicidal thoughts, and 1 in 4 of them were actively planning to take their own life.
The ambulance staff 24/7 crisis phoneline has been co-designed by AACE, on behalf of its members, and TASC to meet the mental health needs of ambulance service staff when they are experiencing suicidal ideation or are in crisis.
It is also intended to alleviate some of the pressure ambulance service employees can feel when supporting their colleagues by offering a safe, supportive, professional service that can be accessed during both the day and night.
The service includes:
- In-the-moment support to keep people safe and stable. This takes the form of a 24-hour phoneline staffed by qualified counsellors who are experienced in helping people in the blue light services and supported by clinicians.
- Longer-term support once a person is safe and stable, specifically a five-session Collaborative Approach to Managing Suicide (CAMS) support programme, which is tailored for people experiencing suicidal thoughts.
The service is available to all ambulance staff in the UK regardless of their job role or length of service. This service is available to staff in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight or Guernsey.
Further information can be found here: The Ambulance Staff Crisis Phoneline – TASC (theasc.org.uk) as well as additional information about AACE’s work to support employee mental health and wellbeing here: Suicide Prevention in Ambulance Services
[1] www.mind.org.uk. (n.d.). Mind survey reveals toll of pandemic on ambulance workers’ mental health. [online] Available at: Mind survey reveals toll of pandemic on ambulance workers’ mental health – Mind
