Following today’s harrowing report on Sky News describing inexcusable and inappropriate sexual behaviour in the UK ambulance sector, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) has underlined that there is no place for predatory sexual behaviour in NHS ambulance services and has reaffirmed its commitment to swiftly and effectively confronting inappropriate and unlawful behaviour towards patients, employees and students – using the full weight of the law where necessary.
Anna Parry, Managing Director of AACE said:
“There is no place in NHS ambulance services for the type of abhorrent predatory behaviour that these shocking allegations have highlighted, and we commend the brave people who have spoken out about their experiences. We would like to reassure the public that on the rare occasions that these incidents occur, they are dealt with swiftly and effectively by NHS ambulance trusts, in conjunction with the police.
Nationally AACE is working with all NHS ambulance services to address outdated, culturally inappropriate behaviour and reduce misogyny while improving sexual safety for employees, volunteers, learners and members of the public alike. This is a key priority for AACE and its members and will remain so until the NHS ambulance service is a place of psychological and sexual safety for everyone.”
Jason Killens, Chair of AACE said:
“The appalling experiences relayed by the courageous people who have spoken out today reveal some deeply uncomfortable aspects of our culture as a society that make it so important that we collectively confront this behaviour wherever it occurs.
Rest assured that ambulance chief executives and their senior leadership colleagues across the UK are more committed than ever to changing the way this minority of people who continue to behave inappropriately think and behave in the workplace, so that it genuinely becomes a safer and less toxic environment for everybody.”
AACE has an agreed national consensus that sets out the sector’s shared commitment to lead meaningful reduction of misogyny and improvement of sexual safety focused on reducing harm through a learning approach to change.
By removing barriers to speaking up and enabling greater access to support, AACE’s aim is to embed a culture of respect, understanding and safety across all UK statutory ambulance services.
AACE also welcomed the report published on 31 October 2024 by the Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) entitled, ‘Sexual safety: the implications for patient safety’ which is focused on incidents involving staff-on-staff sexual behaviours and the wider impact these behaviours may have on patient safety.
HSSIB engaged with twenty different stakeholder organisations including AACE, alongside other national organisations, regulators, universities, royal colleges and professional associations, national patient advocacy organisations, and independent activist groups.
A summary of AACE’s national work on reducing misogyny and improving sexual safety in the ambulance service can be found here: https://aace.org.uk/reducing-misogyny-and-improving-sexual-safety-in-the-ambulance-service/.
If you are a member of the ambulance staff workforce affected by this news story, you can contact The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC) 24/7 Ambulance Staff Crisis Phoneline for immediate support on 0300 373 0898. It is completely independent and confidential. You can also email the Wellbeing Support team here.
