Diversity and Inclusion Annual report 2024 to 2025

Foreword

This report outlines our achievements for 2024 to 2025 and gives a snap shot of the progress we have made as a Trust in advancing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. West Midlands Ambulance Service is well accustomed to winter pressures and has robust plans to deal with the increased demand, however following the worst month in the Trust’s history for hospital handover delays 2024 to 2025, the freezing temperatures and flood warnings across the region, the decision was taken by the Trust to move the REAP (Resources Escalatory Action Plan) Level up to four, the highest it can be. The 53,219 hours lost in December dwarfed the previous worst month of 47,635 which came 12 months previous. No fewer than 15,696 patients waited over an hour to be handed over in December, that is 34.2% of all those conveyed. The longest handover delay was 18 hours and 27 minutes.

Despite the challenges that we have faced in the last year, we have remained committed in embedding Equality, Inclusion and Diversity throughout the business of the organisation and have continued to make progress by expanding our Chaplaincy service and strengthening our staff networks. We also continue to collect the Ethnicity Pay Gap data which also informs the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) action plan. Further we collected the Gender Pay Gap and delivered on the Workforce Race and Disability Action plans.

There have been significant improvements in reducing the gender pay gap in the last year as compared to previous years and this is something that staff at WMAS have been working extremely hard to address in the past few years and we are now seeing the results of interventions put in place. 

As an organisation we are proud of our commitment to make our service accessible to all in the communities that we serve. We are continuously working hard in providing the very best work experience and environment for our staff and have held several events throughout the year,- bringing staff together and sharing our varied and wonderful diversity which has been educational, and which has enriched our understanding of different cultures and faiths.

We have expanded our Chaplaincy service and welcomed Rabbi Yossi Jacobs and Karen Scarrott who joins Imam Asad, Stephen Bentham, and Satnam Kaur to support our staff, recognising the diversity of staff needs.

The Trust serves a population of 5.6 million people covering an area of more than 5,000 square miles made up of Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Coventry, Birmingham, and Black Country conurbation.

The West Midlands is full of contrasts and diversity. It includes the second largest urban area in the country (Birmingham, Solihull, and the Black Country) yet over 80% of the area is rural. We are the second most ethnically diverse region in the country after London which makes it vital that we work closely with the many different communities we serve. Ensuring we listen and respond to their suggestions and comments ensures that our service meets the needs of everyone in the region.

As the region’s emergency ambulance service, we respond to around 4,200 ‘999’ calls each day. To manage that level of demand, we employ approximately 7200 staff and operate from 15 fleet preparation hubs across the region, and two 999 Emergency Operations Centres.

We also provide non-emergency patient transport services across the region for those patients who require non-emergency transport to and from hospital and who are unable to travel unaided because of their medical condition or clinical need. Our staff complete just under 1 million non-emergency patient journeys each year.

Many people still think ambulance services only take patients to hospital. In fact, only just over 50% of our patients end up going to an emergency department with the rest either being treated at the scene or in their home, given advice over the phone or taken to another service such as a GP or minor injuries unit. We have achieved that by investing heavily in the skills that our staff have. 

We are the first Trust in the country to have a paramedic on every vehicle and continue to operate this delivery model.

Our Diversity and Inclusion vision is centred around three pillars:

1. to build a diverse pipeline of people into WMAS as well as valuing diversity of thought and experience of our existing staff.
2. to create an inclusive workplace for all and
3. to reflect diversity in the delivery of our service to the diverse communities we serve.

Building and valuing a diverse and inclusive workforce takes purpose and dedicated action, but the benefits are substantial, both to ourselves and those we serve. The Trust continues to progress and embed, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion into everything we do.

Director of People	Chief Executive	Diversity & Inclusion Lead
Carla Beechey	Professor Anthony Marsh	Mohammed Ramzan

Executive summary

This Annual Report will highlight our achievements during the past year. The Trust has a statutory responsibility to publish an annual Equality report. This report provides information about the work we are doing and what we have achieved over the previous year. The report demonstrates the compliance with the Public-Sector Equality Duty [PSED]. Further, the report will highlight some of the key achievements over the year and include information and progress on projects including Equality Delivery System 3 report and grading, the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) data and action plan, the Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) and the Gender Pay Gap.

For two years running we have been collecting the Ethnicity Pay Gap data and in 2024, the Trust has been working closely with The Black Country ICS EDI People Priorities and the Chief Executive has pledged to Improve data collection and analysis. The Trust will be looking to work closely with the ICS in the Development and implementation of action plans related to Ethnicity, Gender and Disability action plans.

The report also provides a brief on our performance in regulatory compliance and our commitment to promoting a culture of inclusion for patients and staff through our vision for the future. This report will provide evidence on our commitment in meeting the Public-Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in the need to give due regard to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between different people when carrying out our activities.

Some elements of the report are mandatory in relation to workforce data under the Specific Duty and Equality Objectives.

The Trust also understands the importance of a workplace that reflects the communities we serve, which is known to provide better quality patient care.

Core Services

West Midlands Ambulance Service University Foundation Trust provides the following:

Recruitment in Action – Recruitment engagement 2024 to 2025.

The Recruitment Team and colleagues attended over 30 different engagement events in the 2024 to 2025 period. 

The team visited a variety of settings including schools, colleges, larger scale community events, MS Teams meetings and presentations to name a few. The first event of the year was a careers session at SCL Dudley –with a group of 25 students aged between 16 and 18 who had faced significant personal and educational challenges. Potential career routes were discussed such as apprenticeship options and interview skills in order to help them to be able to progress through to a career within the service. The group of students and staff were extremely passionate and appreciative of the opportunities to learn from the Trust recruitment team.

Operational staff took part in Eid celebrations in Edgbaston, promoting the service within the local community showcasing the range of opportunities available.

September brought the Emergency Services Show back to Birmingham. Staff from all areas of the service attended to showcase the work we do in Health and Wellbeing, Recruitment, HART Team, Clinical Validation and our Community First Responders. We engaged with hundreds of attendees, including local college and University students from a range of backgrounds, with extremely positive feedback received. We are already in discussions about our 2025 stand and how we can expand our presence at this year’s event.

More recently, we attended Newhampton Arts Centre in Wolverhampton, an area with 36% BAME Population demographically, for their ‘My Tomorrow Careers Pop Up Event’. This was an event working with West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership who work to help reduce serious youth violence in under 25’s and provide better opportunities by means of supporting positive community diversions. We engaged with members of the public about our career paths and the routes they can take to make their dream career a reality in an engaging and eye opening event.

We have also completed presentations to Access to Higher Education students at colleges within the region to promote our careers routes, specifically our routes into Paramedicine within the service, as well as promoting roles in all areas of the Trust. Again, good feedback was received and work will continue to arrange further presentations going forward to help advise local students of their options into the Trust.

We have already received enquiries about events for the 2025 to 2026 calendar, with further diverse engagement opportunities to recruit more staff from diverse backgrounds being our main focus. 

Continued Provision of free sanitary products for all staff across the Trust.

The Trust continues to provide free sanitary products to all staff across the Trust. The monies awarded was used to purchase and install a free vend unit in every female toilet block across the Trust, a total of 34 units. In addition, the bid enabled the purchase of a large supply of sanitary towels and tampons, in a variety of flow sizes. This meant that every unit was provided with an initial stock of products. 

Health & Wellbeing Roadshows 2024 to 2025

After the enormous success of the health and wellbeing roadshows in 2022, we had 2 more successful years in 2023 and 2024. We visited 24 sites, with the usual features such as health checks, SALS advisors, health & wellbeing champions, FTSU advocates as well as the cycling and rowing challenges. This year and last year we partnered with our external stakeholders and internal stakeholders to help and support staff with their health and wellbeing. We look forward to planning the 2025 events. 

Staff were also asked to complete a HWB survey and this year 825 staff members completed the survey, which was an increase of 175 surveys. In response to staff feedback gathered during the 2024 Health and Wellbeing roadshows, WMAS has made several significant strides to support the health and wellbeing of staff. Here’s a summary of the key initiatives undertaken:

You Said: “Nutritional Support and Fitness Incentives” Staff highlighted a desire for more nutritional advice, gym memberships and slimming offers like Hello Fresh and Slimming World vouchers.

We Did:

• Slimming World Vouchers: Over 100 vouchers were issued in 2024, promoting healthier lifestyles among staff.

• Fitness Discounts: The Trust partnered with local gyms and wellness centres, including Malvern Spa, to offer discounts that encourage physical activity and overall wellness. The Trust remains committed to enhancing the health and wellbeing of staff.

Health & Wellbeing Online Festival 2024

On 16^th October 2024 over 100 staff took part in the Trust’s first virtual Health & Wellbeing Festival. In total, 117 staff took part in 287 sessions aimed at supporting both mental and physical health. From nutritional to financial wellbeing advice, there was something for everyone. Some of the most popular sessions were Emotional Trauma Awareness, how to be smart with your money, menopause, mindfulness, self-discovery, neurodiversity and managing back pain. It was inspiring to see so many staff prioritising their wellbeing and coming together to support one another. Our internal and external presenters did a wonderful job in support and helping the Trust deliver a successful event. We received some great feedback: 

• “The sessions were very useful and informative. Being online made it easier to attend and still participate as a group.
• It was a good way for everyone to enjoy the different sessions with enough time to dip in and gain extra knowledge and insight.
• All of the sessions were very informative and interesting.”

HWB Website 

Since the launch of website in July 2022 to January 2025, we had 73.6K views by 32.6K visitors.

HWB Champions Development Day at WMAS

During the year we attempt to undertake HWB champion meetings and development days. Since 2023 we have now updated our champions list with 66 active health and wellbeing champions.

In 2024 the Health and Wellbeing Champions from across the Trust gathered at Sandwell Hub for a Development Day, led by Health and Wellbeing Manager, Manjeet Malhi. The day provided the champions with an opportunity to develop their understanding of the services the Trust offers to staff both for their physical and mental wellbeing. With talks from our internal and external partners. 

We have our very own HWB Newsletter for our champions to ensure they are equipped with up-to-date information to support them in their role moving forward.

WMAS Partners with Trussell Trust 

The Trust recognises that some colleagues may need additional financial support from time to time. Having the strength to ask for help can be difficult, which is why the Trust has partnered with The Trussell Trust, a national charity who support a network of foodbanks, to make it easier for staff to access the support they need. They provide a minimum of three days of nutritionally balanced emergency food to people who have been referred to them in a crisis by organisations such as advice agencies, GPs, social services and schools. They also support the people they help resolve the crisis they are facing. As a partner organisation, the Trust can refer staff to The Trussell Trust food bank and issue e-vouchers for a three-day food parcel on behalf of the Trussell Network. These vouchers are issued by the Trust’s Wellbeing Team and are registered on the food bank system on the staff members’ behalf. 

MHFA and Suicide lite Training 

WMAS continues to provide staff with MHFA and suicide lite training sessions. The courses will equip staff with an in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing, practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues, confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress and many more skills. Up to January 2025 the Trust have trained 607 members of staff, which we will continue to provide into 2025 to 2026 due to the popular demand of these courses. Alongside this we have continued to provide a number of suicide lite courses both online and face to face. We have trained 946 members of staff, up December 2024.

National Network Day

Over 100 Staff Joined us for National Network Day! 

Staff came together to celebrate the work of the Trust’s six staff networks along with the valuable role the Staff Advice and Liaison Service, Chaplaincy Service and Freedom to Speak Up play in supporting staff, improving services and helping staff develop their careers.

The event, which was sponsored by UNISON, heard from each of the Network Chairs: Becky Godfrey and Sonia Bhattle (Women’s); John Eames (Disability Carers & Advocates); Keeling Hutton (ONE); Tim Atherton (Military); Ash Deakins (Proud); and Raul Anton Gutierrez (Student). They were joined by Elaine Weaver (SALS); Steve Bentham and Mohammed Asad (Chaplaincy) and Pippa Wall and Lucy Butler (FTSU). 

The Trust was also pleased to hear from Randeep Kular (Co-Chair APNA Midlands) and Beverly Baker (Fairness Improvement Lead at UHB).

In the afternoon colleagues took part in workshops on topics such as Creating a Wellness Recovery Action Plan, a Self-Discovery workshop and Reiki sessions.

Andymansclub webinar 2025

Andy’s Man delivered a webinar on men’s mental health on Tuesday 21^st January 2025. During the session, we heard some really inspirational personal stories from men and their families about their loved ones, which was heart felting and emotional. We learnt about the history of the charity, why it is so important, what to expect and how to get involved.

Andy’s Man Club is a safe space where men can talk openly and support each other through life’s challenges and the webinar is open to anyone who wants to learn more. It’s important for us all to be male allies and understand how we can support those within both our professional and personal life. 

Staff are invited to attend a webinar on men’s mental health next week. Andy’s Man Club, who we have mentioned here in the Weekly Briefing before, is hosting a webinar on Tuesday 21st January. During the session, you’ll learn about what happens during a meeting.

Free NHS Health checks

Many of us turn our attention to getting fit and healthy at the start of a new year, so it is perhaps no surprise that the first Health Check session of the year at Millennium Point was fully booked on Thursday! Run in conjunction with Dudley Council, the health checks provide a personalised approach to lower risks and maintain a healthy lifestyle, whilst assessing your risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and kidney disease. Blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels will be checked during the 30-minute appointment with all results being provided and explained to you on the day. We are running a number of sessions during 2025 to help support staff with their health.

Recruitment of placement student to the HWB and EDI Team

To support our Health and Wellbeing and Equality and Diversity Team, we recruited a placement student in 2024 from Aston university. Berfin has been an asset to the Trust who has supported the HWB and EDI team with projects and initiatives, we have really enjoyed working with Berfin in 2024 and look forward to working with Berfin in 2025. We also look forward to Berfin supporting us recruit our next work placement student for 2025 to 2026.

Objective 3

Civility and Respect

Ensure all our Board leaders, senior managers, staff, contractors, visitors, and the wider community are aware of the effects of their behaviour on others and are equipped to challenge and report inappropriate behaviour when they experience or witness it. 

We will do this by:

• Developing and delivering an internal communication campaign on civility and respect in the workplace 
• Developing a system where all cases of bullying or harassment are clearly recorded as such and monitored to identify any trends or patterns across the Trust. We have collated incidences of verbal and physical incidences broken down by Ethnicity, Age and Gender.
• Continuing to capture good practice from our partners and peers to improve our diversity and Inclusion performance, e.g., working collaboratively with the NHS Employers’ National Ambulance Diversity Forum and Regional Diversity Groups
• Embedding the refreshed values, behavioural framework, and culture statement as our standard, measured through performance and development conversations and holding ourselves and others to account.
• Launching the rebrand of our grievance procedure to be a resolutions procedure with greater emphasis on listening skills and resolving issues at an informal level, ensuring that people that raise concerns are treated with dignity, respect and compassion.
• Launching and delivering a new manager training package in relation to dealing with dignity at work and resolutions concerns in the workplace, equipping managers with the skills and knowledge to deal with these topics appropriately whilst ensuring staff are supported through these processes.
• Continuing to embed mediation as an option to resolve workplace conflict at an informal stage. The Trust has invested in training a team of mediators who can assist individuals through a professional mediation process, to enable them to consider all parties viewpoints in a safe and supported space before collectively agreeing next steps and outcomes.

Sexual Safety at WMAS

In October 2022 we launched a sexual safety charter across the Trust, clearly demonstrating behaviours and conduct that are not acceptable and to encourage people to report concerns of a sexual safety nature. We have continued to promote sexual safety awareness to staff across a number of platforms including education and awareness sessions delivered across the Trust to managers, supervisors and those working in a position of Trust. 

Across all sites sexual safety awareness posters are displayed in safe spaces, on the back of toilet doors, highlighting examples of inappropriate behaviour and listing avenues of support available. Please see info graph below:

Objective 4

Ensure our leadership is committed to creating an environment that promotes and values equality and diversity and this is embedded in all we do.

We will do this by:

• Delivering diversity and inclusion training to all members of the Board of Directors and Council of Governors
• Ensuring all our leaders have specific diversity & inclusion objectives in their annual objectives with performance discussed during their appraisals.
• Ensuring that Board and Committee reports include an equality impact analysis.
• Chief Executive Officer pledge on improving data collation for Ethnicity Pay Gap, Disability Pay Gap and Gender Pay Gap across the System 

We have made some significant progress despite the challenges and pressures that the Trust has faced whilst acknowledging that over the course of the four years of the Equality Strategy, further work needs to be advanced to deliver on the objectives in their entirety. In 2025 to 2026 the EDI Lead will be developing the Equality Objectives Equality Strategy for the next 4 years (2025 to 2029). The Equality Objectives will be monitored through the established governance mechanisms for monitoring equality and inclusion.

Gender pay gap

In 2017 the Government introduced world-leading legislation that made it statutory for all organisations with 250 or more employees to report annually on their gender pay gap. West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust is covered by the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 that came into force on 31 March 2017. 

These regulations underpin the Public-Sector Equality Duty and require the relevant organisations to publish their gender pay gap annually, including mean and median gender pay gaps; the mean and median gender bonus gaps; the proportion of men and women who received bonuses; and the proportions of male and female employees in each pay quartile.

The gender pay gap shows the difference in the average pay between all men and women in a workforce. If a workforce has a particularly high gender pay gap, this can indicate there may be a number of issues to deal with, and the individual calculations may help to identify what those issues are.

The gender pay gap is different to equal pay. Equal pay deals with the pay differences between men and women who carry out the same jobs, similar jobs, or work of equal value. It is unlawful to pay people unequally because they are a man or a woman.

Differences in gender pay show a demographic pay gap. By taking the average hourly rate for all employees and comparing the difference in that metric for men and women, gender pay reporting is most notable about female representation in certain roles – not whether a man earns more for the same job.

Equal pay is about men and women being paid the same for the same work, while the gender pay gap is about the difference in average hourly earnings.

In 2024 to 2025, we published the WMAS Gender Pay Gap report as per requirement and developed an action plan to bridge the gap in disparities.

As part of our commitment to bridging the gender pay gap and gender equality, the Trust is supporting the Springboard Women’s Development Programme – an award winning personal and professional programme designed and developed by women for women. It has been tried and tested in the NHS and beyond and is designed to support women in taking control and making good decisions in life and work. 

In the past year, we have continued to offer bespoke development programme for WMAS female staff and is open to transgender women and non-binary people, 

Springboard is for women who want to take control, become more assertive, increase their confidence and build themselves a more positive attitude in both their work and home lives. The programme gives the participants the time to reflect, share and most importantly, set achievable goals for now and the future. Springboard empowers women and helps them to enhance their own skills and abilities, and challenge power and inequality, while also building assertiveness, a positive image, and giving them a voice.

During the programme, the participants were invited to explore practical ways of learning how to develop their potential by:

• Undertaking realistic self-assessment which will help set challenging goals. 
• Learning communication skills, assertiveness, self- confidence, improving your work/life balance and developing positive skills and attitudes.

WMAS has an active workforce plan and the number of women in the organisation sits at 53.29% as of 31 March 2025. – a slight increase from 2023 to 2024. Please see workforce data in the appendix of this document.

Action to eradicate the gender pay gap

There have been significant improvements in reducing the gender pay gap in the last year as compared to previous years and a full report is available on our website. Some of the highlights of the report are as follows:

There has been a significant improvement in the mean gender pay gap from 2023 (-8.9%) to 2024 (-2.56%) and the median has reduced from -11.42% (2023) to -2.03% in 2024.

There have been significant improvements in the reduction of the gender pay gap both for Mean and Median. For Mean the improvement is by 6.34% and for Median it is 9.03%. Interventions put in place in the action plan may well have been a contributory factor especially as the Women’s springboard development programme has been in operation since 2021. In addition, as the overall demographic of the workforce has balanced out over recent years, this has enabled more female employees the opportunity to gain further experience and develop themselves to be able to move into supervisory and leadership roles as and when they have become available through competitive recruitment processes.

In previous years the proportion of women in the lower, lower middle and upper middle pay quartiles was higher than the overall gender profile for the Trust. In the current year there has been a drop of almost 10% of Women in the lower quartile and increase in lower middle quartile (by 5.65%), increase in upper middle quartile (by 1.33%) and increase in the upper quartile (by 4.51%). The figures show an upward trend and a noticeable and significant improvement in the pay quartiles especially in the upper middle and upper quartile. Although there has been an improvement in the upper quartile it is still lower for women as compared to men, albeit it is going in the right trajectory.

In order to support women within the workplace, the WMAS Women’s Network have been working closely with the Springboard project for Women in the past few years and this particular intervention has yielded positive results – a report which has been shared with the appropriate Trust Committee for information.

Looking forward to 2025/26, the Organisational Development Team have set further development opportunities for Women in the form of action learning sets with a view of “BUILDING CONFIDENT WOMEN LEADERS”. As a Trust, we want to encourage our women staff to have the confidence to build their career with us. 

These programmes will take the form of a series of 6 action learning sets which will discuss, support and coach where the participants will have the opportunity to:

• practice coaching skills 
• enhance listening skills 
• get ideas and tools to work on imposter syndrome 
• form a network of supportive women 
• have a safe space to talk through fears and challenges with a view to problem-solving 
• develop your leadership skills and your career 
• build confidence to develop your career

Overall, this is a positive report with significant reduction in the Gender Pay Gap for Women as shown in the figures. An associated action plan is scheduled to be developed in May 2025 in order to consider the most recently available 2024 to 2025 data to continue progress which has been made during 2023 to 2024. 

The Board of Directors and the senior leadership team are committed to improving our gender pay gap and are looking at a number of initiatives to address this through the action plan which includes supporting a further cohort for women’s development programme, Springboard in 2025 to 2026.

Health inequalities

The Trust produced its Health Inequalities Workforce Plan 2024 to 2025 and has been working on reducing health inequalities for staff by establishing a number of key outcomes as follows:

1. Reducing health inequalities through ensuring the workforce reflects the community it serves involves creating a diverse, inclusive, and culturally competent workforce that understands and addresses the unique needs and preferences of the community. A diverse workforce can provide better care, improve communication, and build trust with community members, leading to more equitable health outcomes.
2. Reducing health inequalities through inclusive recruitment involves creating a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the community it serves. Inclusive recruitment practices can help address health disparities by ensuring that healthcare providers are culturally competent, understand the needs of diverse populations, and can effectively communicate and connect with patients from various backgrounds.
3. Reducing health inequalities through creating a workplace environment that promotes health and well-being for all employees, regardless of their socioeconomic status, age, gender, or other demographic factors.
4. Reducing health inequalities through job satisfaction involves creating a positive and supportive work environment where all employees feel valued, engaged, and motivated. Job satisfaction can significantly impact an individual’s physical and mental health, so focusing on improving job satisfaction can help reduce health inequalities among employees
5. Reducing physical impacts also reduces inevitable health problems for our workforce due to the nature of our work.
6. New and/or existing health conditions refer to disparities or differences experienced in health outcomes, access to healthcare, and work-related opportunities among employees who have pre-existing health conditions. Addressing these inequalities is essential for creating a fair and supportive work environment

Diversity Champions

Diversity Champions have been recruited to cover sites across the Trust to provide an additional resource for staff to tap into in respect of equality, diversity and inclusion. The Diversity Champion is the named individual at their designated site, promoting diversity and inclusion with the aim of helping to reduce the chances of discrimination through appropriate advice and support and linking in with staff networks and management when appropriate and promoting the right behaviours. The Diversity Champions go through a process of training to equip them with the skills to carry out their voluntary role. 22 Diversity Champions have been recruited and trained with most sites covered. The EDI lead provides support and guidance to the Champions and has twice yearly meetings with the aim of shared learning and any additional support that the they may need to carry out their role. The following describes what the role of the Diversity Champion has entailed

The Diversity Champion will:

• Help to raise awareness of equality, diversity, and inclusion
• Be provided with appropriate advice, support, development by the Equality Lead, staff networks and Organisational Development
• Encourage individuals to speak up on any issues or concerns they may have
• Promote information on Trust initiatives and opportunities such as reverse mentoring, health and well-being and support networks.
• Encourage membership of the Trust’s staff networks
• Signpost staff to the relevant support or advice they may need.
• Be part of the bigger team of Diversity Champions
• Help celebrate cultural days and/or help to organise events at their site or across sites
• This is a voluntary role that staff offer to commit too.

Workforce race equality standard

Workforce Race Equality Standards (WRES). The Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) was introduced in the NHS in 2015 with an aim to support NHS organisations to close the gaps in workplace experience between White and Black and Ethnic Minority (BME) staff and to improve BME representation at the Board level of the organisation. The Trust supports and promotes the WRES, encouraging BME staff to reach their full potential through equality of opportunity.

The Trust aims to recruit a workforce that is diverse and representative of our communities. The WRES is a set of metrics which annually is published in conjunction with an Action plan. It is pleasing to note that we have increased our BME workforce from last year and will continue to work towards our target. The Trust’s long-term goal is to reach 23.7% of staff being from a BME background by achieving a 2% year on year increase (based on census data to be reflective of the West Midlands population).

In 2024, WMAS collated the WRES data and developed a robust action plan to bridge the gaps in disparity. The action plan has been monitored through-out 2024 to 25 for delivery at the Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group (DISAG) and at the People Committee. During May and June 2025, data on the WRES will be collated and an action plan developed and published on the Trust Website

The Trust has actively been working towards the implementation of the action plan and has notable successes which have been reported at the DISAG group and People Committee. The Trust believes that the organisation is going in the right direction with an established ONE (BAME) network which has met on a regular basis throughout 2024 to 2025, and further detailed report is provided by the network further down this report. 

West Midlands Ambulance Service: Workforce Race Equality Standard – Areas for Improvement and performance 2024

This is the third year that the national Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) team has produced a detailed report on each Trust highlighting areas of improvement needed and identifying where Trusts have done well. The purpose of this exercise is to help the Trusts identify priority areas for improvement. The current reporting year for the purposes of this section of the report is 2024. 

A maximum of three high priority areas for improvement have been identified for the WMAS as follows:

Please note, these areas of best performance are intended to highlight potential examples of good practice that could be further built upon within the organisation, and also shared with other organisations. Nonetheless, there may remain the need for further improvement in these indicators. The WRES team will analyse for and look to celebrate areas where good performance is maintained or further improved, year-on-year.

Conclusion

The national WRES team identified three areas that the Trust should look towards setting specific actions to address for improvement. However, it must be noted that there are areas where the Trust has performed well as indicated in this summary. It should be noted that the Trust has been working towards the implementation of several action plans including the WRES action plan in 2024 to 2025. These action plans have been actively monitored for progress, quarterly, at the Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group (DISAG). The outcome of the WRES data (to be published later in 2025) will give the Trust further information on how well the Trust has done in the past year and areas for further improvement. 

This is a challenging time for everyone; however, it presents us with even more reason to ensure we are living the principles of equality and inclusion in all that we do, and WMAS will continue to progress the WRES and WDES work within WMAS.

Equality delivery system 3 2022 (EDS3 2022)
Introduction

The main purpose of the Equality Delivery System is to help local NHS organisations, in discussion with local partners including local people, review and improve their performance for people with characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010. By using EDS3 NHS organisations can also be helped to deliver on the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). The EDS provides a way for the organisation to show how it is doing against 11 specific outcomes that are grouped across the following three domains:

Domain 1: Commissioned or Provided Services – This focuses on patient access and experience, reducing inequalities and enabling better health outcomes.

Domain 2: Workforce Health & Wellbeing – This focuses on ensuring that all workforce members are fully supported in relation to health and wellbeing.

Domain 3: Inclusive Leadership – This domain explores how leadership at WMAS demonstrates a commitment to equality and how it works in a way that identifies equality issues and manages them.

Each of the above domains has set outcomes that are evaluated and scored against the set criteria, and experiences of stakeholders. It is these ratings that provide assurance and/or provide direction for further improvement.

Domain 2 – Workforce, Health and Well-being & Domain 3 – Inclusive Leadership

Enabling our diverse workforce to be healthy, with a sense of well-being is crucial to high-quality patient care. Therefore, a fundamental part of WMAS’s ambitions is strengthening and building on the available health and well-being support.

To truly create the conditions for high quality, compassionate and continually improving healthcare, leaders must understand and better nurture inclusiveness, promote equity and value diversity. The Board understand this and are committed to creating a culture of compassion whereby diversity is encouraged and celebrated, enabling an environment where all staff are empowered and have a positive experience.

There are several areas which have been assessed as Achieving with others as Developing in Domain 2. There has been a marked improvement in Domain 3, Outcome 3b which has moved from Developing to Achieving from last year. This is largely due to 57 members of staff being trained on Equality Impact Assessment framework and the process being embedded in Policy stat and at key governance routes before a [project or policy is approved. Further improvement in 3d which has moved from Achieving to Excelling and this is due to the pledge that the Chief has made as part of the Black Country Integrated Care System on equality improvement on data gathering for Gender Pay Gap, Ethnicity Pay Gap and Disability Pay Gap.

The EDS assessment and action plan will be presented to the Diversity, and Inclusion Steering Group (DISAG) for monitoring going forward and also shared at the quarterly People Committee for assurance.

WMAS staff networks and chaplaincy service

Staff Network Day

In 2024, the staff networks combined to deliver, with support from the EDI, Health & Well-Being and Recruitment team, a fantastic event showcasing all that the networks have been doing to support staff across the Trust. This initiative came about as a result of engagement and consultation with staff networks.

Chaplaincy Service

We have continued to increase our Chaplaincy service to support the diverse faiths of our workforce. Chaplaincy has been further strengthened by having Rabbi Yossi Jacob’s, the Jewish Chaplain joining Satnam Kaur, The Sikh Chaplain, Stephen Bentham, the Christian Chaplain, and Imam Asad – Muslim Chaplain. A grand iftar (breaking of Muslim fast) took place in March 2024 where the Chief joined in the celebrations. It was an opportunity to learn about different faiths and ask questions whilst celebrating the opening of the fast. In 2024 staff from the Trust visited the Gurdwara as part of learning about the Sikh faith. Staff also took part in Carol services in Birmingham in December – as part of the Christian tradition at Christmas time.

WMAS Iftar Event 2025

On 19th March 2025 an Iftar event was held at the Sandwell Hub. Iftar is the time when Muslims open their fast at sunset time, after staying without food and drink all day. It was an open invite, and everyone was welcome. The evening consisted of encouraging messages from the Chief and the Chair about supporting each other and exercising unity and tolerance during challenging times. A presentation was shared by the Muslim Chaplain explaining Muslim beliefs and what the importance of Ramadhan was to them. Prayers were offered for all the staff at WMAS. The ill, sick, bereaved, deceased, and troubled were remembered in the prayers. After sunset, everyone broke bread together as they enjoyed the experience of enlightening and educating each other on their similarities and differences as well as enjoying a meal together.”

Staff Networks

All staff networks continue to have an assigned Executive Sponsor as well as a HR Manager to act as a buddy. These additional resources assist the network chairs by providing professional support and guidance to them as chairs as well as to the networks that they support. The staff networks have been collaborating and working together on joint events and initiatives where they can. The following section describes some of the engagement and activities and support provided by WMAS staff networks to its members and wider staff. 

PROUD AT WMAS

1. Our LGBT+ Network is a well-established network within the Trust who through their inclusive ethos are bringing together LGBT+ staff, those who support their colleagues and those who want to learn more about and tackle health inequalities & stigma that LGBT+ communities still face today. Through a supportive local and national forum, they share best practice, continuing professional development opportunities and awareness events such as for LGBT History Month as well as working with the Trust to consult members in the development of policies, procedures and training to support our staff as individuals as well as improving the care we provide to our patients. The Network communicates with our staff and its members through multiple platforms, including Microsoft TEAMS, Facebook, and email to improve engagement as well as with their followers on Twitter where they share upcoming events, new development opportunities and the exciting work that they do with the wider public which serves to improve relations between the ambulance service and the LGBT+ community and the wider public. We have also attended local LGBT+ events including Birmingham Pride where over 50 of our staff join colleagues from other emergency services and the wider NHS to provide a Tri-Service approach to engaging with the community and promoting the ambulance service as a diverse and inclusive place to work.

As a contributing committee member of the National Ambulance LGBT+ Network who bring together representation from each NHS Ambulance Trust to coordinate best practice, activities and contribute to core objectives our network have supported our staff to attend the National Ambulance LGBT+ Network Annual Conference each year which is an opportunity for professional development, sharing best practice and networking with colleagues from around the country. This platform has seen us contributing to the development of a Trans Toolkit available from CPDme, the Trans ‘Z’ card available to staff across our organisation and other CPD aimed at improving care to patients living with HIV which is available to staff across the country and brings a unified standard to the care that we provide.

ONE NETWORK: THE BME GROUP

2. The ONE staff network is becoming well-established, have Terms of Reference and have elected a staff committee. Members receive regular updates and are able to engage with the network through several mechanisms, including WhatsApp, twitter, and email as well as in person and by phone. 

The group is represented on the National BME Ambulance Forum with the work chair and the WMAS EDI Lead, being members of the management committee.

The network has gone through a transition over the last two years with two co-chairs and a vice chair elected. The network has worked closely with external partners and has made key contributions in the resource created for BAME members and allies of the Trust. Black History Month 2024 was celebrated across the Trust including weekly articles going into the organisations weekly brief with the aim of educating, learning and celebrating past and present contributions. The network has a number of achievements to look back on and moving forward as follows: 

Membership Growth: Over the last year, The One Network has seen remarkable expansion, growing from 30 members to 119. This significant increase highlights the network’s value and the positive impact it provides to its members. More people are reaching out to the network for queries, support, and guidance. Together, we are building a vibrant, supportive community that continues to inspire and make a difference. 

The One Network has been incredibly active and engaged in a variety of meaningful initiatives and events over the year. Below is a summary of these activities:

National Diversity Ambulance Conference in London 

The network capped off June with the productive and engaging National Ambulance BME Forum. This event featured breakout sessions focusing on various coping mechanisms, including:

1. Mindfulness (Racism Related Stress): Addressed the impact of racism-related stress and explored mindfulness as a coping technique.
2. Beat the Burnout: Discussed the role of nutrition in managing burnout and increasing resilience.
3. Emotions (Approach and Avoid): Explored the reasons behind avoiding emotional discussions and strategies to overcome these barriers.

Health & Well-Being Roadshows

Partnering with the Health and Wellbeing Roadshow, The One Network visited several Patient Transport Service (PTS) sites, including Frankley, Warrington, Sandwell, Wolverhampton, and Tollgate. These visits provided valuable support and resources directly to members.

Anti-Knife Crime Event:

The One Network attended an Anti-Knife Crime event in Smethwick, hosting a workshop in collaboration with the local Masjid (Faizan-E-Madina Sandwell). During the session, we shared our experiences of knife crime in the West Midlands and discussed how simple wound and haemorrhage control techniques can save lives. 

The event also featured Dr. Ismail, a surgeon from Heartlands Hospital, who spoke about the increasing prevalence of knife crime and emphasised the importance of working together to educate and combat this issue. The event included discussions on the importance of bleeding kits, CPR, and the root causes of knife crime, aiming to raise awareness and promote community safety.

Other events

1. The network played a key role in organizing and participating in a highly successful South Asian Heritage Month event at the Sandwell Hub. This event, which saw a turnout of over 70 people, was a vibrant celebration of South Asian culture and heritage
2. A meeting was held with CCP/Merit group members to address the low application rates from BAME individuals for trainee CCP positions. Discussions focused on strategies to increase participation, with further meetings planned.
3. ONE Network at Careers Event: The network attended a careers event at Sandwell Hub, which attracted over 400 people. Representatives outlined the support offered to staff by The One Network and highlighted the support from senior staff.

These activities demonstrate The One Network’s ongoing commitment to member engagement, community involvement, and cultural celebration. The network’s efforts are clearly making a positive impact, and the continued momentum will likely lead to even greater success in the future.

Apna Conference at University of Warwick & Awards evening

The annual NHS Asian Professional National Alliance (APNA) conference was held at Warwick University. The conference was an opportunity for WMAS staff who attended to meet fellow, like minded, NHS professionals from across the region and nationally to share best practice. Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Mohammed Ramzan, said: “This was another excellent conference. WMAS has really benefited from attending these events in recent years as we have been able to attract multi-talented and inspirational speakers to come and attend our staff network events as talk about some of the key health topics and sharing their knowledge and expertise for our staff.” 

Stechford Mosque participated in a national initiative aimed at conducting 10,000 blood pressure and BMI checks across the UK on Friday, and we’re proud to report that the Birmingham camp, held at the mosque, was a resounding success. The ONE Network were on hand, with Co-Chair Mohammed Azim attended alongside Paramedics, Adnaan Ahmed and Shafaqat Ali, to provide health checks and engage in insightful career conversations and were also had an ambulance on-site for the day, which further contributed to the event’s success.

In total, we conducted over 200 health checks. A big thank you to everyone who contributed and participated!

Co-Chair of the ONE Network, Mohammed Azim

ONE Network Attends Radfest in Coventry on Saturday the ONE Network attended Radfest in Coventry. The event saw organisations and charities from across the Coventry area come together to showcase the various services available to support residents across Coventry. The One Network represented WMAS providing CPR demonstrations and talking about the important work the Network is doing in the communities around the West Midlands.

The event had a fantastic turnout and was a great success. It was heartwarming to see such a strong sense of community spirit. Special thanks to Senior Operations Manager Rebecca Flintason and Mo and Shaf from the One Network who supported the event.

One Network Chair, Mohammed Azim

The strong presence of WMAS, with demonstrations on CPR and basic life support techniques also cemented the standing of the ambulance service.

Co-organiser and CVT Paramedic Alpesh Mistry

 Culture Day (Black History Month) is a Big Success

Members of the ONE Network and allies celebrated Black History Month in November 2024 during their annual Cultural Day. The event at the old Academy attracted many staff who heard personal stories and journeys, as well as talks and a chance to take part in music. There were two keynote speeches, the first from Bruno Daniel from the Royal College of Nursing who talked on current affairs, addressing the recent riots, the significance of Black History Month, and the essential role of allyship in fostering inclusion and equity. Le’Siran Edwards, Founder of the Social Work Coaching Hub then gave an insightful presentation on trauma-informed self-care. She emphasised the healing power of journaling, illustrating how it can be a valuable tool in recognising trauma and building personal resilience. There was also music from Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist, Mel Day and the Star Karaoke Club as well as complimentary hair and beauty treatments from Tracey Taylor Hair and Beauty. ONE Network Co-Chair, Mohammed Azim, said: “The day was a fantastic blend of inspiration, reflection, and celebration, with everyone leaving feeling empowered to continue making a positive impact in their communities

Gurdwara Visit 

To celebrate Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas, Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smethwick kindly opened its doors to West Midlands Ambulance Service for a guided tour, an exclusive talk about Sikhi and, of course, ended with some delicious langar (food).

It was a great turn out so thank you to everyone who attended to celebrate with the community. Whilst visiting, Mohammed Azim, Gurdeep Kahlon and Keeling Hutton attended to a patient who was attending the Gurdwara, this made the visit even more important by helping and supporting the community with our ‘seva’ (selfless service)

Health and Wellbeing Manager, Manjeet Malhi

It was a truly eye-opening experience; I learned so much in just a few hours, and I’m really glad I was there.

ONE Network co-chair, Mohammed Azim

Thanks again for organising the visit to the Gurdwara. I really enjoyed it and found it so informative and I felt very relaxed and welcomed by everyone.

Jenny Hubble, OD Team

Anti-Racism Charter – Training

The Trust is committed to creating and maintaining a zero-tolerance approach to racism and discrimination. Race and racism are not always well understood and therefore race is mistakenly and widely used to denote difference. Racism is very real and yet often we deny it affects us, our behaviours, or our employees. Racial discrimination can have a significant psychological impact on the health and well-being of those affected; therefore, we need to develop an inclusive workplace culture where employees feel safe to challenge racial discrimination and inequalities across the Trust.

We have launched, an implemented a race equality and inclusion charter, in partnership with the ONE (BME) network, setting out a zero tolerance to racism in the workplace and the continued support to colleagues who unfortunately experience such unacceptable behaviour. 

The charter is summarised in a poster format (See appendix) which is displayed in safe spaces across the Trust, on notice boards and the back of toilet cubicles. 

The Trust has commenced training for staff across the Trust in 2024 to 2025 which will build a culture of trust, where employees experiencing racism feel confident to come forward and know that they’ll be listened to and taken seriously. The training challenges participants to look at their own thinking and biases and covers a range of inclusion topics in addition to anti racism including use of gender pronouns, generational differences and micro aggressions. 

Race Riots 2024- Standing alongside each other – Statement by the ONE Network

Staff would have been shocked and saddened at the events that have taken place around the country over the last few days, and especially over the weekend. These events of violence and thuggery, fuelled by racism and Islamophobia, are truly horrifying. The Blue-light services have been at the forefront of protecting communities and we are thankful to the police who have been a protecting force for many. 

Understandably, violence is having a huge impact on people and staff. We know many of you will be concerned about your own safety during this period. We heard from the Chief earlier that WMAS are working closely with local authorities and the police to continue to monitor the situation and respond accordingly. Thank you to those who have publicly and privately shared and described the fear and distress you feel. Your courage in speaking out is notable and we are sorry this is happening to you. The impact on so many of our colleagues and our local communities is a very real concern and many of you may be working this week under increased pressure as a result of the riots, perhaps even being called upon to treat the perpetrators. 

In these challenging times we encourage each and every one of you to please check in with each other to see how your colleagues are. Staff will be working hard to deliver services to patients while also feeling upset and frightened by these events. 

If you need support, please do speak up. This support is available from your line manager, Human Resources, Staff networks and / or your trade union. For staff support, please visit the Health and Well-being page where you will find a range of support available including Chaplaincy support, Staff Advice & Liaison Service (SALs), Equality and Inclusion support and access to Staff networks. Please visit the following page Health & Wellbeing Contacts | WMAS Wellbeing to access the support available. 

If you experience, witness or have been involved in a hate crime you can report it through a number of avenues. Reporting makes a difference – to you, your friends, and your life. If you see a crime that is in progress or if someone is in immediate danger, please call 999 without hesitation.

Stop Hate UK supports individuals and communities who have been impacted by hate crime. Any incidents of hate crime can also be reported to Report all Hate Crime Home – Stop Hate UK

Support is also available from Tell Mama, a confidential support service for those suffering from anti-Muslim hate and discrimination across the UK. Their website features a number of different ways to report anti-Muslim incidents, including via phone or WhatsApp: Report in Anti-Muslim Hate or Islamophobia Tell Mama: Report in Anti-Muslim Hate or Islamophobia (tellmamauk.org). The site also hosts useful resources, including on mosque security.

As a staff network, we champion equality, diversity and inclusion and we stand in solidarity with all those impacted by the violence. See our diversity as our strength, and we will always stand against those who seek to undermine others. 

You are supported and you are not alone.

Statement by ONE(BME) Staff Network

Going forward the network is working towards more events and community engagements alongside building the network.

Women’s network

The Women’s network is now a well-established group. 

The network is run by Co-chairs & Vice Chair and supported by a HR Buddy and Executive Sponsor and members receive regular updates and can engage with the network through a number of mechanisms. Although a relatively new network, it has already been instrumental in shaping the Gender Pay Gap action plan, which is monitored by the group and has helped coordinate the Springboard initiative for women. 

• Springboard Cohort ran from September – December and was successful.
• Rebecca Godfrey and Sonia Bhattle – Chair and Vice Chair have been working with the membership to advance the Women’s Network throughout 2024. 
• August 2024 – Sonia Bhattle & Rebecca Parker Williams were elected as Co-Chairs of Women’s Network and Joanne Caines was elected as Vice Chair and Eleanor Huddleston joined as HR Buddy.
• Women’s Network members base continues to grow.
• Onboarding process currently being designed and improved.
• AACE National Network meetings attended. 
• Uniform Group meetings attended.
• Diversity & Inclusion Group meetings attended.
• Gender Pay gap action plan updated and published for 2023 to 2024. 
• Women’s Network supported both H & W Roadshows and People Promise Drop-in’s.
• Coffee Morning at Sandwell – Menopause & Periods Talk.
• South Asian Heritage Day Event – One Network and Women’s Network collaboration.
• Networks Day – Women’s Network attended and were Keynote speakers and Sonia Bhattle delivered Self Discovery Workshop to Staff.
• Women’s Health – Coffee morning
• Springboard Alumni Event was held on 30^th September to celebrate all of our graduates
• White Ribbon Campaign ran from 25^th November – 10^th December and included both online and in person events throughout this time period and raised awareness around Domestic Violence and how we can become allies.
• Joanne Caines is currently attending training to become a qualified practitioner for Baby Loss & Infertility.
• Rebecca Parker Williams attended the Women in Leadership Conference on 12^th December.
• Joanne Caines & Molly Hodges (Women’s Network member) working on spreading Endometriosis awareness
• DSA Drop in – supported and attended by Women’s Network Vice Chair
• Women’s Network continued to supply sanitary products across hubs
• Women Leading The Way seminar will take place in 2025 – hosted by member, Bethany Stewart to support GPG report work and help women who feel there are barriers to their progression within the trust.
• Project – Joanne Caines is working on a project to support women going through infertility and baby loss and how we can support our staff at this time.
• New mum’s/expectant mums project – We have been working on guidance for management when having conversations with expectant mums/new mums and are also introducing drop-in sessions/coffee mornings.
•  Coffee Mornings planned in 2025 – Endometriosis in February and Neurodiversity in April
• International Women’s Day Event – Friday 7^th March 2025.

Sandwell Hosts International Women’s Day Event

Friday 7^th March 2025 saw an incredible turnout as scores of colleagues from across the Trust came together for the Women’s Network International Women’s Day event at our Sandwell Hub. 

The day was packed with inspiring talks and hands-on workshops led by some of the brilliant women at WMAS, covering everything from dealing with grief and mindfulness to mastering public speaking and working in specialist teams. Of course, no great event is complete without some well-earned treats as attendees enjoyed a delicious lunch (complete with cakes and tea!), while breaks provided the perfect opportunity to network and connect with colleagues from different departments.

Women’s Network Co-Chair, Rebecca Parker-Williams, reflected on the day’s success: “The day was a great success celebrating the achievements of Women in our Trust, and I’m sure everyone learned a great deal from the various events throughout the day. I would like to say a huge thankyou from the Women’s Network to our key speakers who kindly shared their experiences and a special well done to the ladies who have recently completed the Springboard Program who plucked up the courage to do a presentation. We look forward to seeing even more of you join in the fun next year!”. A massive thank you to everyone who made the event such a success. Together, we’re making real change to support, uplift and continue to grow as an organisation that champions every woman. See you next year for an even bigger and better celebration!

Disability, carers and advocates network (DCA)

The Disability, Carers & Advocates in brief the DCA is the identifying name for the West Midlands Ambulance Service network for all staff who have a Disability, are a Carer or would act as a supporting Advocate for either party. DCA was launched in 2019 and has grown in membership very quickly with over 50 members. 

The purpose of this group is: 

• Is to promote a positive approach to Disability & Carers responsibilities. 
• To address issues, topics, that have arisen. 
• To provide best practice in terms of shared knowledge and understanding for the benefit of all staff. 
• Creating a supportive, nurturing, and inclusive environment were all members of staff with differing abilities are respected and acknowledged for their contribution. 

Membership is currently stable with members predominantly at Millennium Point, Navigation Point and Tollgate. The network is keen to reach out to all staff and board members with disabilities (both obvious and hidden), caring responsibilities or who will be advocates for these groups. Meetings have mainly been online via Teams which seems to have worked well and allowed staff from other locations to join more easily, with the first face to face meeting in three years at MP just before Christmas. 

Disability History Month (DHM)2024. 

The Trust’s Disability, Carers and Advocates Network held a drop-in day at Millenium Point (HQ) to celebrate Disability History Month in December 2024. The day was supported by the Health and Wellbeing Team who offered health checks and free goodies, there was also representation from the FTSU team, mental health practitioners and SALS, as well as the opportunity for people to get their health checks done. The day provided a good opportunity to engage with the various teams at Millenium Point, including operational staff, PTS, NEOC and EOC colleagues. Chair of the DCA, John Eames, said: “The day was only possible due to the help and support of so many people, especially our hosts at HQ, SALS, the Health and Wellbeing Team, as well as Nathan Hudson, and Mohammed Ramzan, the EDI Lead. Of course, that’s not to forget everyone who visited the event, I hope you all enjoyed the day.” As a staff network the DCA has continued to support employees in the workplace, promoting the health carer’s passport and helping staff that needed the support of the network on various issues. 

Neurodiversity

The DCA network has continued to support the neurodiversity peer support group which was launched in earlier 2024 as a subgroup of the DCA Network. This group aims to provide support to individuals who are neurodiverse by sharing personal experiences as well as raising awareness of supporting colleagues, family and friends with neurodiversity.

It was recognised that neurodiversity was becoming a more openly talked about topic amongst colleagues and that managers needed additional professional advice and guidance in supporting neurodivergent colleagues. In January 2024 we were able to facilitate a manage training session, delivered by Neurobox, to provide an overview and awareness of neurodivergent conditions and how managers can effectively support people in the workplace. In 2024 to 2025, the DCA promoted neuro-diversity events and continued to raise awareness amongst staff of this condition which can have an adverse impact on staff if not managed properly.

We are proud to have started a project working with The British Dyslexia Association on their workplace quality mark scheme. The Trust has signed the pledge to meet the bronze scheme and has made a commitment to work towards achieving the silver level mark within the next 12 months. Louise Jones, Recruitment Manager, is project managing a working group including management and staff representatives to deliver key improvements in the experience of our staff who are dyslexic, building on the support already in place and making further steps to provide a dyslexia friendly workplace.

Mark, Workplace Quality – British Dyslexia Association

WMAS Military Network

The Military Network provides a support group for staff who have an affinity with the armed forces community. This includes those who have served (veterans), those currently serving as reservists, Cadet Instructors, family members of those serving and everyone else who has an interest in the armed forces community. The network aims to: 

• Support staff to be able to engage in military service (Reservists and Cadet Leaders) 
• Create an inclusive community of staff who have military experience, connections to the military or a general interest with no barriers to membership.
• Celebrate the current and past military service of WMAS staff.
• Provide signposting for further support and welfare to military veterans.
• Raise awareness across the trust of issues faced by military veterans and offering of signposting support for patients.
• Support military service leavers in their transition into working for WMAS.
• Support Armed Forces Charities and organisations.

November is a busy month for the network supporting Remembrance with several events and parades across the region. 

June was a busy month with both Reserves Day and Armed Forces Day which saw reservists (non-patient facing) wearing uniform to work and a host of Armed Forces Day events across the region. 

Looking ahead the network will focus on supporting Veterans and the introduction of Veteran Champions on hubs/trust sites as a point of contact/support. We will look at what other support we can offer these individuals and any other relevant training.

The Network continues to engage with military organisations, NHS employers and other key stakeholders to ensure we provide the best support our staff and patients. 

ERS Gold Renewal West Midlands Ambulance Service – WMAS have been successful in revalidating our Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award after completing a 1 year review of Veteran Aware to demonstrate progress against actions and it has been approved through the Employer Recognition Scheme. The Ministry of Defence publicly recognises the commitment and support organisations such as ours, which have continued to demonstrate itself as a supportive employer for the people in the Armed Forces community.

WMAS Student Network

The Trust continues to support the student staff Network. 

The Network is aimed at external and internal students, learners and apprentices and sits alongside the five other existing networks. It is run by the students and apprentices and provide a safe space to chat through issues. It provides an opportunity for peer support for individuals who may be facing challenge in the learning environment or their studies.

Head of Student Engagement, Safety & Wellbeing, Suman Bhambra-Thompson

Diversity and inclusion steering group DISAG

The Trust supports the DISAG group with representation from a diverse range of staff from across the Trust who are representative of the various roles and departments within the Trust group, including network chairs, staff side representatives, the group is chaired by the Director of People. The DISAG group meets every two months to consult and drive the Diversity & Inclusion agenda forward. Action plans emanating from WDES, WRES and Gender Pay Gap reports are monitored at DISAG for progress.

External Partner

NADG (National ambulance diversity group)

The Trust is represented on the national group and attends the meetings regularly. It is a forum of shared knowledge and expertise which drives the Equality & Diversity agenda at national level. We had staff attend the National Ambulance Wellbeing Forum – there has been supported provided for individuals to receive funded intensive rehabilitation support to support them to be able to return to work following significant illness or injury.

NLGBT (Nation lesbian gay bisexual transgender) and national BME ambulance network

Both groups have developed over the last few years with an annual conference every year and all ambulance services march together at Pride. 

Regional equality forum and integrated care system/ board (ICS/B)

The Trust are members of the regional Equality forum and ICS/B which allows all Trusts to meet and share best practice and discuss issues which relate directly to the region. The EDI lead from WMAS has been working with the Black Country ICS and chaired the regional equality group in advancing equality, diversity and inclusion and has been working closely with the system in bringing about transformational change for our patients and staff. The following slides describes some of the work being undertaken, both as an individual Trust and as a system:

Chief Executive of West Midlands ambulance Service, in his first blog on the work being carried out issued the following statement:

Cheif Executives Blog

ICS EDI Strategy Project 2: Improve EDI Data Collection and Analysis

I am pleased to support the progress that the Black Country ICS is making regarding equality, inclusion, and diversity for our patients and workforce. In 2024, we committed to enhancing our data collection efforts. This work will continue through 2025 and beyond, allowing us to gain an accurate understanding of our position, both as individual Trusts and as a system. This will enable us to continue to implement meaningful and positive changes based on reliable data.

To date we have:

• Developed a system-wide Ethnicity Pay Gap report with recommendations every system partner can adopt. We are supporting all system partners in producing their organisational ethnicity pay gap reports in 2025, which the system will analyse. Each provider will reflect on system actions and, where applicable, build into provider-level action plans for ethnicity pay gaps. 
• Produced heat maps and deep dive tools to help provider Trusts identify and address areas with poor performance, allowing us to offer targeted and tailored support. Organisations can use this information to prioritise their actions, such as providing targeted training, coaching for managers, and conducting focus groups and listening sessions.
• Created an ICS Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) data and cultural dashboard to provide system-level oversight of data metrics, which will be reported to the ICB Board.
• Developed an EDI Learning and Development plan linked to Project 5, aimed at improving system-wide EDI learning and development. By utilising the Workforce Race and Disability Equality Standard deep dive tools, organisations can identify key focus areas and encourage leaders to participate in development sessions aimed at fostering cultural improvements in these areas. 

Anthony Marsh: Chief Executive, West Midlands Ambulance Service

Equality Diversity Inclusion Chief Executive Officer Video Pledges: 

WMAS CEO Anthony Marsh https://e.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZGxgMZFr6K1htiQj7FWKRQSsYPMBiXX09V

National and regional reservist forum

The Trust are members of both the local and national group and support Armed Forces Day, Reservist Day and Remembrance Day.

NHS standard contract

The NHS Standard Contract is mandated by NHS England for use by NHS commissioners to contract for all healthcare services other than primary care. This prohibits discrimination based on the nine protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010 and is a mutual obligation on the commissioner and on the provider. Service Condition 13 relates specifically to ‘Equality of Access and Equality and Non-Discrimination.’ WMAS has provided timely assurance reports to commissioners as part of the local agreement.

This means that the Trust must: 

• Have regard to the need to reduce inequalities between patients in access to health services and the outcomes achieved (s. 13G and s.14T); 
• Exercise its functions with a view to securing that health services are provided in an integrated way, and are integrated with health- related and social care services, where they consider that this would improve quality and reduce inequalities in access to those services or the outcomes achieved (s13N and s.14Z1).

Cultural calendar 2025

The Equality and Inclusion and the Health and Well-being team again this year have collaboratively produced a WMAS cultural calendar for 2025. The Trust has launched its’ Cultural Calendar for 2025 in January. As a Trust we aim to be as inclusive and diverse as possible. All employee requests to be absent due to religious commitments should be dealt with sympathetically by departments, provided this has been discussed and agreed with their line manager This innovative piece of work was shared with the staff networks and staff so that events can be highlighted and celebrated in a timely fashion during the year. Staff wishing to observe religious festivals and holy days will have the opportunity to discuss and negotiate with their managers in advance. Managers in turn have been encouraged to consider sympathetically requests for annual leave or flexible work schedules from staff wishing to participate in religious and cultural festivals and to be prepared to make reasonable adjustments to working arrangements if they don’t cause undue disruption.

Conclusion

Despite the challenges presented in the last couple of years with the pandemic, winter pressures and significant hospital handover delays, the Trust has achieved a number of milestones as contained in this report and met the PSED duties. There is much to be proud of and the Trust is committed to achieving further progress on all areas of Diversity & Inclusion, and we will continue to strive to make the environment more inclusive for both patients and staff through our engagement strategy. 

Priorities for 2025 to 2026

The following list describes the areas which the Trust will prioritise and will form part of the work plan for 2025 to 2026: 

1. Development of Action Plans based on findings from the WDES & WRES, Ethnicity Pay Gap data analysis. 
2. Continued work with Black Country ICS/ICB Equality and Inclusion Group and the high impact actions
3. Development of the new four-year Equality Strategy and Equality Objectives (2025 to 2029).
4. Continued work on Workforce Race Standard and Implementation of Disability Workforce Equality Standard 
5. Work in partnership with colleagues across the Ambulance sector including the National Ambulance alliance – AACE. 
6. Training for staff on the Equality Impact Assessment process. 
7. Increased engagement and recruitment campaigns with seldom heard communities should be a focus in 2025 to 2026 and beyond – this will help the Trust to attract diverse portfolio of staff. 
8. Work on the EDS3 assessment and grading for all domains and deliver on the action plan 2025 to 2026 
9. Provide timely reports to ICB and commissioners on Equality compliance. 
10. Work on the Health Inequalities agenda.
11. Review, and delivery of the Anti-racism charter training and associated education and awareness package to staff and management.
12. Growing our Diversity Champions for the Trust.

Appendix 1 – WORKFORCE PROFILE

Appendix 2 – CULTURAL DAY

Appendix 3 – WMAS SPRINGBOARD ALUMNI

Appendix 4 – WMAS Women’s Network Appendices

Appendix 5 – Women’s network booklet 2024

Appendix 6 – Race equality inclusion charter