North East Ambulance Service achieves ENEI Gold Award for a third year

North East Ambulance Service has been named as one of the top performing organisations in the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI) assessment, achieving the gold award for the third year.

The Trust, which employs more than 3,000 people, it has retained the gold employer status, one of 15 organisation nationally to achieve this.

It rewards the Trust’s efforts to engage more diverse employees and patients as well as improvements made to services and employment practices.

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This year we ranked 3rd across the Health and Care sector and 4th in Europe for our performance. We scored 100% in Communication and Engagement and scored above 90% in three other themes including Workforce, Strategy and Plan and Recruitment and Attraction.

The report shows area for improvement which will be carried out in the EDI work plan across the next five years.

Over the last year some of this work has included:

• Monitored and improved the language telephone interpreting service contract, promoted guidance for colleagues and raised awareness of the service with the public.
• Introduced new dementia friendly vehicles as part of the national Ambulance specification including the addition of dementia friendly blinds.
• Raising awareness of the Trust as an inclusive employer via social media and online event.
• Secured additional funding to continue to support the Ethnic Minority Positive Action Officer role to continue promoting our services, employment and volunteering opportunities.
• Trained an additional 21 Community Ambassadors (104 in total) to help share key messages in the community, including promoting employment opportunities within the trust.
• Continued with our Positive Action Project working with ethnic minority colleagues and expanding it to disabled people stakeholders and communities.
• Maintained our status as a Disability Confident leader organisation following an external assessment by the DWP and NHS Business Services Authority.
• Delivered a month-long programme of education and awareness as part of Disability History month.
• Appointed a Psychological Wellbeing Advisor to support staff in the workplace.

Helen Ray, Chief Executive Officer said: “I am extremely proud of our commitment and work on diversity and inclusions and I’m also happy to see this recognised by ENEI as attaining the Gold Award standard for the third year running.

“As our workforce is becoming more diverse, we must adapt as an employer and as an organisation to ensure we embrace these changes and realise the benefits this brings.

“We work hard to ensure we treat colleagues and patients with care, compassion and empathy and we ensure people can access services, information and help in a way that is accessible to their needs.

“We use this and other frameworks as an improvement tool to identify areas for improvement and deliver those changes, we need to continue to grow and develop. We are committed to deliver improvements to our organisation culture to make NEAS the best place to live, work and grow”.

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Karen O’Brien Director or People and Development and Executive lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion said: “On behalf of the Board, we are proud to have maintained our gold status for another year and we are dedicated to improving Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) across the Trust.

"This award shows the hard work from all our teams as well as indicating the improvements we are planning to make in the future."