London Ambulance Service welcomes independent review into ambulance sector culture

The London Ambulance Service has welcomed the independent review into the culture within the ambulance sector, commissioned NHS England.

Chief Executive Daniel Elkeles said: “The NHS is built on the dedication and teamwork of our staff, and so the working culture we operate in, the values we live by and the behaviour we experience from colleagues is of critical importance. It is vital that the whole ambulance sector takes this report as a wake-up call and commits to making the necessary changes.

“As a trust, we have made progress in some key areas, including a zero-tolerance approach to sexual misconduct leading to nine dismissals in the last year, our focus on Freedom to Speak Up, and pioneering a new approach to teams-based working which enables operational teams to work more closely together.

“But there is much more to do. There are still too many members of staff who may not feel safe at work all the time and where our values of teamwork, caring and respect are not lived up to.”