Three priority areas have been agreed to champion and deliver improvement across the UK NHS ambulance sector to benefit patients, employees and the wider health and social care system.
The new strategy was approved at the AACE Council – consisting of chief executives and chairs of ambulance trusts across the country – following extensive consultation with chief executives, chairs, national director group leads and stakeholders.
Its purpose will be to support the UK NHS ambulance sector to become the provider of choice; employer of choice; and partner of choice.
Daren Mochrie, AACE Chair said:
I look forward to working with colleagues, both within and outside the ambulance service, in progressing this strategy over the coming three years to ensure continual improvement and advancement for our patients and staff alike.
I am incredibly proud of all our ambulance staff and volunteers across the UK who do an amazing job day in day out serving their local communities.
To become the provider of choice, AACE will work to advance activity and business such as clinical development, operational transformation, and digital modernisation. The aim is to be seen by the public as a reliable, high-quality service provider.
Sharing best practice and learning from each other is a central element of this first strategic aim.
As an employer of choice, the AACE strategy aims for people to view ambulance services as organisations that they would be proud of and wish to work for.
This means having enough well-educated and trained, well-equipped, well-led and well-supported staff to meet the care needs of our patients. It also includes tackling racism, putting equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do, leading compassionately and developing compassionate leaders, and prioritising the mental health and wellbeing of employees.
The final aim is to be the partner of choice by other parts of the health system in the delivery of urgent and emergency care. Seven out of ten English ambulance services now provide some 111 services; of which three provide the full 111 service within their region. Seven out of ten English trusts also provide some or all the patient transport service provision within their region.
Provision of 111 services – or their equivalent – and patient transport services is also undertaken by ambulance services in devolved nations.
Given its regional status, the ambulance services also have a unique system-leadership role to play whilst ensuring that services are tailored to local authority/borough at a place level and local communities at a neighbourhood level too.
Anna Parry, Deputy Managing Director of AACE, added:
Our three strategic priorities are not stand alone. They are inter-related with progress in one area invariably contributing to progress within the others.
We would not seek to support or endorse activity within one that would be of detriment to another, whilst activity undertaken in each priority area is always considered in the context of the others.
