Carla has over 25 years’ experience of working in the Human Resources profession having previously worked in the further education sector. She joined WMAS in 2008 as an HR Advisor after completing her professional qualifications in Human Resources Management at the University of Wolverhampton. She was promoted to HR Manager before being appointed as Head of HR in 2016. Following a competitive selection process, she was appointed as People Director in April 2021 before becoming an Executive Director in 2024. Carla is a Chartered Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (FMCIPD).
During her time at WMAS Carla has led the digital paperless HR agenda to implement an online employee personal record solution which won the ‘Public Sector Project of the Year’ award in 2020. She has also led her team to maintain the highest workforce attendance rates in the country of all ambulance services since 2014, through excellent sickness absence management and proactive health and wellbeing initiatives supporting regular attendance at work. In addition, WMAS has maintained zero vacancies within frontline clinicians year on year, which has enabled the Trust to continue to be the only ambulance service with a qualified paramedic on every response vehicle. It also holds the lowest turnover rates for ambulance trusts and continues to remain below the average benchmark (all Trusts) regionally and nationally.
In 2024, WMAS commenced the delivery of an in-house Level 6 BSc Paramedic Apprenticeship Degree programme in partnership with Derby University and remains the only ambulance service to hold NHS University Foundation Trust status, through Carla’s leadership.