The London Ambulance Service (LAS) failing on diversity and must implement specific targets for improvements, its leadership has been warned.
According to LAS data, just 20 per cent of the workforce is from a Black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background despite almost half of the capital’s population (46.2 per cent) being made up of non-white communities.
Of that 20 per cent, 40.9 per cent are in the lowest paid roles, compared to 15.9 per cent who are in the highest wage bands, according to the LAS’ Integrated Performance report.
The LAS is in the process of developing a new strategy to help attract more diverse staff, which will be published early next year.
On Monday, Krupesh Hirani, chair of the health committee at the London Assembly, wrote to LAS chief executive Daniel Elkeles to recommend that it include targets and an action plan for how it will improve workforce diversity, in particular for paramedics.
“London is one of the most diverse cities in the world and our blue light services should reflect the cultures and communities they serve.
“It is encouraging that the London Ambulance Service’s new strategy includes a commitment to improving diversity in the organisation, as with only one in five of its current workforce from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background, it is not truly ethnically representative of London.
“We believe that a detailed action plan with specific targets on how it will improve diversity among frontline paramedics and the organisation as a whole would be an important step to better represent the diversity of our city.”
LAS accepts that this is an area in which it wants to improve, saying that “an only 20 per cent diverse workforce… in a city where 50 per cent of people are not white British, that feels totally wrong”.
LAS representatives suggested to the committee that the workforce will become more ethnically representative of London by increasing the take-up of different routes into paramedicine, such as the entry-level ambulance practitioner programme, and by training and upskilling its call handlers.
Research shows that ethnic minority groups suffer disproportionately higher levels of inadequate ambulance care due to a combination of issues such as a lack of cultural awareness among professionals, language and communication difficulties and a limited understanding of how the healthcare system operates for some minority groups.
A 2015 study by the Race Equality Foundation highlighted that paramedic stereotyping, often arising from a limited awareness of cultural norms, has sometimes led to “antagonistic behaviours” towards patients, as well as delays in seeking treatment, the under-use of services and a worsening of health conditions.
These issues will be exacerbated by inadequate diversity among LAS staff members.
In June 2021, LAS chairman Heather Lawrence said the organisation was “not delivering” on ensuring its Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff do not suffer discrimination at work.
Chief Executive of London Ambulance Service, Daniel Elkeles, said: “We are proud to care for the diverse city of London, and we are passionately committed to making sure our workforce is representative of the communities we serve.
“We have taken some key steps over recent years, including providing safe and secure workshops for staff to talk about race and the challenges we face in our Trust, strengthening the equalities and diversity training we provide for new staff and changing our recruitment process to make sure all candidates are treated equitably. But we have lots more to do, which is why we spoke to the London Assembly about the plans we are developing as part of our new strategy.”
