Anna is managing director at the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, a membership organisation for all statutory ambulance services in the UK, and assumed this role in October 2023 having undertaken a deputy managing director role with the organisation for the preceding four years. Anna has worked for AACE since 2013 having previously worked for London Ambulance Service as programme manager for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games preparations, as well as across health and social care at regional and borough levels, and originally completing a local government graduate development programme and master’s degree in public management at Warwick Business School. Anna is passionate about patient-centred care delivery, employee wellbeing, suicide prevention and inclusion, which underpins all her work at AACE. She is a firm believer in the power and potential of collaboration and integration.
Presentation Title and Overview: Reducing misogyny and improving sexual safety in statutory UK ambulance services.
The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) and its member organisations (all statutory ambulance services in the UK) have been undertaking targeted, evidence-based and uncompromising work to reduce misogyny and improve sexual safety. The focus is on employees, volunteers and students, with a secondary beneficiary being our patients and populations.
We are aware that both equality and equity for women is not yet assured in the ambulance service, furthermore, we know that too many women primarily, but some men too, are not operating in a working environment that is sexually safe.
AACE launched its reducing misogyny and improving sexual safety approach in October 2023, which comprises an overview of the current situation, a national consensus statement agreed with all our member services and partner organisations, and a next steps document.
We are now implementing the next steps identified, working with ambulance service boards, human resources / people teams, our ambulance women’s networks and people within the sector who have been adversely affected by misogyny and inappropriate, unwanted sexual behaviour. Listening to our people is fundamental to this work and a desire to achieve meaningful, irreversible change that everyone understands and is committed to.
This session will include an overview of the AACE’s work, the challenges faced and how they have been tackled, underpinned by an explanation of why this work is so important for ambulance services – in the UK and globally.