Equality and diversity

The Scottish Ambulance Service is committed to a continuous and sustainable approach to delivering a service that reflects the mixed communities and population of Scotland. This is based in sound process and measurable outcomes to ensure that our equality and diversity* vision is embedded and confirming that it is non-negotiable.

Our vision is to continually:

• demonstrate our leadership and commitment to the values and principles of equality and diversity and create the culture where they are seen as the norm;
• make it our personal responsibility to understand and meet the individual needs of people who access our services if at all possible;
• listen to feedback from individuals who have found our existing services to be unfair, or are offering ways in which we can improve and learn;
• respect and value all patients, carers, advocates and members of the public, as well as our own colleagues and their contribution;
• provide the necessary support, advice and information to help all of our staff;
• ensure that people are recruited, trained and promoted according to their abilities and in the proportions one would expect from the populations represented;
• attempt to gain the views of minority groups and involve them in future service design (see also our closely linked PFPI activities).

Delivery is via all our staff, working together to achieve an annually adjusted delivery plan which is monitored and coordinated by an Equality & Diversity Steering Group.  We are also open to inspection by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland , Audit Scotland and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

We aim to continually ensure that our staff population reflects the broad range of Scottish communities and to further develop our engagement and awareness of increasingly diverse needs.

If you want to be involved in what we are doing, please contact the Corporate Affairs Manager who can either put you in touch with a local manager, or provide further information (including a summary in other languages, audiotape, another format or braille).  We would particularly welcome comment or support from an identified minority group, either individually or collectively.

*Equality is about creating a fairer society where everyone can participate and has the opportunity to fulfill their potential. It is mostly backed by robust legislation designed to address unfair discrimination based on membership of a particular group and to provide equality of opportunity.

Diversity Is about the recognition and valuing of difference in its broadest sense. It is about creating a culture and practices that recognise, respect, value and harness difference for the benefit of the patients, carers, the public and members of staff.