East of England Ambulance Service boosts frontline workforce
Date: 9 July 2024Hundreds of new staff have joined East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) in the last year.
An additional 717 people have joined the service to strengthen EEAST's capacity to respond to 999 emergencies, a record number of recruits for the Trust.
This is already having a positive impact on response times. For category one calls - the most life-threatening - the average response time fell from nine minutes and fifty-five seconds in May 2023 to nine minutes and twenty-one seconds in May 2024. The national target is an average of seven minutes.
Response times for category two calls - which include patients with stroke symptoms, chest pains and severe breathing difficulties - have fallen from 45 minutes and 44 seconds in December 2023 to 37 minutes in March 2024.
The current target for category two incidents is 30 minutes and further work is ongoing to improve response times.
The numbers recruited include 139 call handlers, taking 999 calls.
EEAST also recruited more than 578 additional paramedics and ambulance support staff.
In June 2023, EEAST launched a recruitment campaign entitled CareerForLife to encourage more people to join the service. The campaign showcases how EEAST staff joined the service and their career pathways.
David Allen, Head of Operations for Norfolk and Waveney said:
“I’m really pleased to see how many new people are joining the Trust, enabling a quicker response to our communities. This will undoubtedly give our patients a better experience.”
Helen Adams, Head of Resourcing and Shared Services said:
“We have been able to achieve this incredible milestone due to the hard work and commitment of our recruitment team - without them this wouldn’t have been possible.
"The launch of the Trust’s CareerForLife campaign has also enabled EEAST to be much more visible. By sharing our people’s career journeys we have been able to inspire others to start their own with EEAST.
"Our employees and volunteers play a vital part in ensuring our patients get the care they need, when they need it most. Every role at EEAST helps us save lives.”
If you want a job that gives you the opportunity to make a difference, start your #CareerForLife with EEAST today. You can find out more about careers and volunteering opportunities on the Trust website.
