Health and Wellbeing in the Scottish Ambulance Service

Sarah Bush & Becs Norris, Wellbeing Leads

Being Well Strategy

Healthy Mind

Healthy Body

Healthy Lifestyle

Healthy Culture

Healthy Environment

We are not starting at the beginning…….!

Existing initiatives

Enthusiastic employees

Changing needs of the workforce, i.e. Students, Workforce, Working Longer

Different ways of working

Asset Based Wellbeing Network

Staff are our greatest asset – but what other skills do they have out with their job roles?

Increased engagement and cohesion of teams.

Initial leading – developing other leaders.

Then you deliver what is needed and wanted by staff!

Example of current initiative…

Wellbeing Spaces

During the pandemic, many had spaces that were provided and then removed – but the need was demonstrated!

Network groups in locations around SAS, staff are identifying spaces, developing the vision, clarifying what's needed.

Increases in many areas!

Learning…….

It’s not rocket science!

It is effective to harness existing assets to build stronger staff relationships.

Prioritising Staff Wellbeing is crucial, not an add on or a nice to have.

Seeing staff as individuals and not job roles.

Using these networks to support the more focused and tailored pieces of Wellbeing work....

Evidence for the impact of trauma on Ambulance Personnel?

Sickness absence in ambulance workers

Absence rates significantly higher compared with other health professionals (Doff 2017)

Mental health of ambulance workers

Anxiety and depression 15%, General psychological distress 27% (Petrie 2018)

Rates of PTSD in ambulance workers

11% compared with 4% in General Population (Petrie 2018)

82% felt overwhelmed or deeply disturbed by an incident they had attended, 25% in high range for PTS symptoms (Regehr 2002)

Responses to 'What Matters to You' campaign

Giving crews appropriate amount of time to process particularly bad jobs

Reintroduction of trim in Glasgow would be great as it's missed by myself and other people I work with as
we found it really supportive

Consistent and reliable access to debrief and support following traumatic incidents

Better mental health support

Debrief or TRiM after 'bad' job. Wellbeing apps and links don't always work

Staff support, having someone to go to and who would listen

Workforce Trauma Management Framework

SAS TRiM Network Structure

Evaluation and data monitoring

Process evaluation

Outcome evaluation

Costs benefit analysis

Risk monitoring and profiles