Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST), we believe that everyone deserves to be treated with respect, dignity, and fairness. Our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is at the heart of everything we do, ensuring that our services are accessible and equitable for all members of our community.

Our commitment to equality means ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents. We strive to remove barriers and create opportunities for all. Diversity involves recognizing and valuing the differences between people, whether those differences are visible or not. We celebrate a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives within our workforce and the communities we serve. Inclusion is about creating an environment where everyone feels welcome, respected, and able to contribute fully. We are dedicated to fostering a culture where every individual feels valued and empowered.

We are committed to our EEAST People Goal, which is exceptional people working and volunteering for EEAST, by promoting Equality, Diversity and Human Rights to all staff and to ensuring equal and fair access to our services by patients, their families and carers. Our approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion applies to everyone who visits or works in any one of our sites, uses our services or who are part of the communities we serve.

Our inclusivity mission states that everyone, regardless of background, feels valued, respected and empowered to contribute to EEAST's cultural journey. Resulting in a more representative workforce, a diverse and respectful culture and an equitable service for all.

We are required to comply with our legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and we believe wholeheartedly that Equality, Diversity and Inclusion must be integral to our culture and values in order to assist us in improving both our service users experience and that of our workforce (staff and volunteers). We use NHS England’s Equality Delivery System 2 as our framework to monitor and improve our performance on equality and inclusion along with fulfilling our requirements as set out in other Standards.

We will always recognise the individual needs of people and the characteristics that are protected by law, these are:

• Age
• Disability
• Sex
• Gender reassignment
• Pregnancy and Maternity
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sexual Orientation
• Marriage and civil partnership

We aim to build on engagement and partnering with key organisations across our region and are committed to promoting equality within and beyond our organisation.

The Trust has an established EDI Steering Group that meets four times a year and this forum is used to:

• Provide proactive support, evidence-based feedback, guidance, assurance and governance for the Trust Board.
• Report progress and raise risks to the Board
• Identify and recommend positive action initiatives to address inequality and meet the relevant standards
• Communicate any new equality objectives.

We will aim to make the Trust a place where all who work and access our services are free from all forms of discrimination and where the diversity of our staff patients, visitors and service-users is recognised as a key driver of our success and is openly valued and celebrated. We believe that everyone has a role to play in promoting EDI. Whether you're a staff member, volunteer, or service user, your voice matters.

Public Sector Equality Duty

The public sector equality duty report, to promote equality, prevent discrimination, and consider the various needs.

Gender Pay Gap

The gender pay gap report outlines the ongoing efforts to achieve gender equality in the workplace.

Equality Delivery System 22

The equality delivery system 22 report, supporting NHS organisations to improve services and work environments for local communities.

WRES and WDES

The NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) and NHS Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) Data Reports WRES and WDES Data Reports are designed to improve workplace experience and career opportunities for Black Minority Ethnic (BME) and Disabled staff.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, suggestions, or would like to learn more about our EDI efforts, please contact our EDI team at EDI@eastamb.nhs.uk.