East of England Ambulance Service Trust

East of England Ambulance Service Trust provide 24 hour, 365 days a year accident and emergency services to those in need of emergency medical treatment and transport in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. We offer non-emergency patient transport services in parts of our region. We can help patients who need non-emergency transport to and from hospital, treatment centres and other similar facilities. We can also provide transport for people who can’t travel unaided because of their medical condition or frailty.

Our work in suicide prevention

We have created a prevention guide to assist our managers in supporting colleagues who are threatening harm or suicidal behaviour or have expressed immediate suicidal thoughts. It aims to ensure that managers can follow a process and pass on a duty of care.

Importantly this aims to ensure that our people receive consistent assistance and support to keep them safe. Our guide has been designed by the Wellbeing team with support from our Occupational Health colleagues and in partnership with Operations.

Our managers at EEAST are also offered Mental Health Awareness training, run by Mind. This assists our teams in identifying issues and next steps and also Spot the Signs Training.

We also have a monthly Suicide Prevention Group that meets to discuss various topics that need urgent support or intervention. We also carry out postvention meetings at Exec level whenever there is an attempt or successful suicide.

Our current priorities

To stop suicidal ideation and to support anyone that needs it.

Our current challenges

One of the key challenges we face is the strain on colleagues who are working long hours, often leading to exhaustion. This is compounded by personal and work-related stresses, as well as undiagnosed or ongoing mental health issues that may go unaddressed. Additionally, the lack of skilled managers who are equipped to recognise and respond to these challenges.