South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust

Who we are

We respond to 999 calls from the public, urgent calls from healthcare professionals and provide NHS 111 services across the region.

As part of the NHS we are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. It ensures that health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate high quality care and encourages care services to improve. You can find our latest CQC inspection report and previous reports on the CQC Website.

Did you know?

South East Coast Ambulance service:

• Covers a geographical area of 3,600 square miles (Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent, Surrey, and North East Hampshire)
• We work across a diverse geographical area of 3,600 square miles which includes densely populated urban areas, sparsely populated rural areas and some of the busiest stretches of motorway in the country.
• We have over 4,000 staff working across 110 sites in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Almost 90 per cent of our workforce is made up of operational staff – those caring for patients either face to face, or over the phone at our emergency dispatch centre where we receive 999 calls.
• Our patients range from the critically ill and injured who need specialist treatment, to those with minor healthcare needs who can be treated at home or in the community.
• As well as a 999 service, we also provide the NHS 111 service across the region.

Our culture and values

SECAmb Values

Our values are the standards which everyone working at our Trust is expected to live up to.

They help us to make the right decisions and guide ho​​​​w we treat our colleagues, our patients and their family and friends.

In order to be a successful Trust and make sure we are giving our patients the best care possible, we all need to work together as a team and respect each others roles.

The values help us do this better.

Our values and behaviours will guide how we recruit, induct, train, develop and manage our staff and how we provide services and care.​​

Courage: Standing Up for What Is Right and Treating Everyone Fairly to Ensure Exceptional Patient Care.

At SECAmb, courage is fundamental to delivering exceptional care. It means standing up for what is right, advocating for fair treatment, and striving for excellence in patient care.

• Decisive Leadership and Innovation: Courageously make difficult decisions and challenge the status quo to foster innovation and improve patient care, especially during challenging times.
• Ethical and Calculated Risk-Taking: Lead by example in taking well-managed risks that are intended to enhance healthcare outcomes, demonstrating clear communication and ethical consideration.
• Support and Growth: Promote a culture of support and continuous improvement, protecting vulnerable members and standing up for the team, all while embracing opportunities to learn from each other.

Integrity – Being Accountable, Honest, and Doing the Right Thing

Integrity underpins every aspect of SECAmb, ensuring we act with honesty and transparency. We are committed to making fair and ethical decisions, maintaining consistency in our practices. By embedding integrity in all we do, we uphold the highest standards of care and build trust with everyone we serve.

• Honesty and Transparency: We prioritise open communication and accountability, learning from mistakes to foster trust and continuous improvement.
• Consistent Accountability: We maintain high standards across all settings, ensuring professionalism and ethical behaviour even when unobserved.
• Ethical Leadership: Our leaders exemplify SECAmb’s values, promoting honesty blended with kindness and encouraging support-seeking to uphold integrity in every action.

Kindness: Being Compassionate, Caring, and Respectful Towards Others

At the heart of SECAmb, kindness defines our approach to care. We are committed to being compassionate and respectful in every interaction, ensuring that every patient, colleague, and community member feels valued and supported.

• Prioritise Empathy and Respect: Promote empathetic interactions and deep listening, valuing each person’s perspective and celebrating differences.
• Maintain Patience and Authenticity: Commit to being patient and nonjudgmental, balancing professionalism with genuine compassion in all dealings.
• Enhance Understanding and Self-Care: Encourage self-care and empathy by genuinely engaging with others, understanding their experiences, and managing challenges thoughtfully.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

As a service provider, we are committed to providing a service which is accessible to everyone and prevents unfair or unlawful discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion, faith or belief.  We are working to promote good relations between different individuals and groups.

As an employer, we will ensure our employees work in an environment which respects and includes everyone and is free from discrimination, harassment and unequal treatment. We are keen to attract staff from diverse backgrounds that are representative of the population we serve and seek to raise our profile as a potential employer. A good example of this is our approach to Ramadan.  Staff are provided with information to support their approach to patients observing this holy period.

You will find the information we are required to publish to meet the Specific Duties of the Public Sector Equality Act 2010 in these pages. We publish information to demonstrate our compliance with these duties.

We are members of the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion and received their silver award in both 2018 and 2019 for their Talent Inclusion & Diversity Evaluation benchmark And the Gold award in 2020 and 2024. In addition to this, our Armed Forces Network received the Armed Forces Covenant silver award in 2022. 

For further information please visit https://www.secamb.nhs.uk/what-we-do/inclusion-equality-and-diversity/