Ambulance UK August 2023

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Ambulance Services NHS Trust
Secretary of State for Wales,
David TC Davies, said: “It is
incredibly inspiring to hear
about the extraordinary and
invaluable work of so many people
from across Wales who have
deservedly been recognised in the
King’s Birthday Honours.
“Welsh recipients from a wide
range of fields have been
recognised, whether it’s for
their commitment to their local
community, their contribution
to sport, education, culture or
health – and I’m thrilled that
their endeavours have been
commended.
“I would like to congratulate all the
recipients being honoured and
thank each and every one for their
contribution.”
LGBT+ staff survey
finds EEAST ‘a
modern and inclusive
organisation’
Chief executive recognises
progress, but says there is
‘much further to go’.
The East of England Ambulance
Service is publishing the results
of an independent survey of
colleagues who identify as LGBT+.
https://www.eastamb.nhs.uk/
about-us/equality-and-diversitysurveys.htm
This follows independent surveys
of BME staff and employees living
with a disability and is part of
the Trust’s on-going programme
to making EEAST an inclusive
environment for everyone.
65% of LGBT staff took part
and shared their views. 72% of
respondents reported that they
consider the Trust to be ‘a modern
and inclusive organisation, which
recognises and embraces people
of all sexual orientations and
different gender identities.’
Tom Abell, CEO of EEAST, said:
“We have made good progress in
improving the culture at EEAST as
evidenced by our improved Care
Quality Commission report and
the lifting of CQC and European
Human Rights Commission
conditions. We are also optimistic
that our results from our recent
staff survey show that we are
beginning to move in the right
direction.
“However, we still have much
further to go in making our
Trust an inclusive environment
for everyone. The key areas
to improve include ensuring
that our staff are confident that
complaints or concerns raised
within EEAST are taken seriously
and not dismissed, trivialised,
or explained away, and that we
tackle ignorance that can lead to
discrimination.
“We have a three-year plan to
make EEAST a more inclusive
place to work and have a skilled
team in the Strategy, Culture and
Education Directorate to drive
forward this plan. We will work
with our employee networks to
ensure that the voice of our people
is represented and valued in all
our plans.”
Ground-breaking
degree turns out first
qualified paramedics
A group of London Ambulance
Service medics are celebrating
completing a new twoyear
university degree in
paramedicine.
The 45 students are the first
London Ambulance Service
cohort to graduate from
the University of Cumbria’s
Paramedicine Course.
The new programme, which is
fully-funded for the students and
started in 2021, aims to make
becoming a paramedic more
accessible and allows clinicians
who are already on the frontline to
continue to work while they earn
their degree.
Lee Knowles, 50, from East
London, was a driving instructor
until the age of 46. He started
working on ambulances four
years ago and is one of the frontline
workers to benefit from the
programme.
He said: “I got my paramedic
registration this month (July) as I
turned 50. At my age, to be given
the opportunity to go back to
university, debt-free, was amazing.
It has opened many doors for me.
“I left school at 16, with good
enough GCSEs. But 30 years
ago, I would have never thought
I would have joined an ambulance
service and even possibly become
a qualified paramedic.”
Donna Buckman, 35, from Surrey,
worked as a florist before joining
the Service at 30. She said the
course was a challenging but
rewarding experience:
“I don’t think I would have
considered a degree without this
opportunity.
“I was diagnosed with dyslexia
years ago and more recently with
dyscalculia. I knew that would be
a challenge, but I tried not to let
that get in the way.
“When I saw I had finished with
a first, I was shocked. I didn’t
know I could do it because I
found the academic side of
things challenging. I hope my
achievement inspires other
neurodivergent people to not give
up on their dreams.”
Jamie Haig, 47, from North
London, became an ambulance
worker in 2019 after a career in IT.
He said: “I went through a period
in my life when I needed change.
I became an Emergency Medical
Technician four years ago and that
change was wonderful – I wish I’d
done it 20 years ago.
“But as fantastic as the Technician
job was, I wanted to qualify as
a paramedic. It was great to be
back in the classroom, I loved the
academic challenge. This degree
has opened up a huge number of
options for me. I have nothing but
gratitude for this job.”
Dr John Martin, Chief Paramedic
at London Ambulance Service,
joined the celebrations at
University of Cumbria and said:
“Huge congratulations to the
graduates – it’s incredibly
inspiring to see them get to
this milestone. Studying for a
university degree while working
on the frontline can be extremely
challenging, so everyone should
be immensely proud!
“We know demand on our
services continues to grow and
the need to secure a pipeline
of paramedics is a key priority.
This degree has created a new
route, helping our staff gain the
same standards of education as
those who take the usual degree
route, while continuing to work on
the frontline.
“It has also proved to be an
amazing opportunity for those
who may have thought university
wasn’t for them and we hope it will
help us attract a more diverse pool
of talent from the local area.”
The new degree programme
runs alongside the successful
Associate Ambulance Practitioner
apprenticeship, which is a route to
becoming an Emergency Medical
Technician (EMT) without any prior
AMBULANCE UK – AUGUST
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
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