London Ambulance Service shortlisted in industry awards for initiative to help ambulance crews get to patients more quickly

A pioneering project which makes it quicker for London Ambulance Service crews to get out on the road at the start of their shift has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2025 Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards.

A number of working changes designed to make it easier for staff to gather the equipment they need, like body worn cameras and personal protective equipment, or sign out drug supplies, were rolled out at 19 stations leading to faster departure times and improved staff wellbeing.

Early analysis suggests that over the several months the project was rolled out, ambulance crews at those stations each saved around 10 minutes at the start of the shift, the equivalent of thousands of hours over a year – or comparable to 280 ambulance shifts made available to respond to patients. In addition, 73% of staff reported improvement in wellbeing as the changes have helped make start of shifts less stressful and allow our staff to concentrate on delivering excellent care to our patients.

This week the HSJ conformed the ‘Start of Shift Project’ had reached the finals in the ‘Staff Wellbeing Award’.

London Ambulance Service Chief Executive Jason Killens said:

“We are focussed on improving our performance to ensure the people of London get the care they expect and deserve in this incredible city whilst also improving the workplace experience to our people.

“Our response times in recent months are among the best that have been seen for several years thanks to innovative ways of working, like enabling our clinicians to treat more people over the phone.

“We need to go further. That’s why initiatives like these are so important – a series of changes can free up small amounts of time which over the course of a year really scale up and mean we can get to so many more people more quickly who need our help.”

Senior Improvement Advisor and Paramedic Carolyn Slater who helped create and implement the project said:

“This is a really proud moment for the team and to be recognised among so many initiatives across the NHS is amazing.

“The real winners are our people and our patients as it means every day crews have a slightly easier start to their day and can get out more quickly to more patients over the course of their shift.”

This year’s awards attracted more than 1,250 entries from across the health sector. Only 245 projects and individuals made it through to the final shortlist following a rigorous judging process. The panel was made up of influential and respected figures from across the healthcare community including Government, NHS England and chief executives from NHS trusts around the country.

HSJ Editor Alastair McLellan commented:

“On behalf of all my colleagues, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate London Ambulance Service on being shortlisted as a finalist in the category of the Staff Wellbeing Award. All of the applications represent the ‘very best of the NHS’ and often leave our esteemed panel of judges with an impossible choice!”