interviews

A new face for AACE

Director Steve West talks to NHE about the launch of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives.

Before the creation of AACE (Association of Ambulance Chief Executives), the ACEG (Ambulance Chief Executives’ Group) existed as an informal network. The new organisation was created to provide a formal point of contact for external organisations and departments, as well as financing the whole operation more fairly.

AACE has also developed national best practice guidelines and seeks to secure its own funding streams. It offers members the ability to network and facilitates the sharing of best practice as well as the implementation of national programmes.

Discussing the aims of the new association, West said: “It’s to provide a more formal way for the chief executives to work collaboratively and for them to make decisions at a national level and to be able to engage with stakeholders, the other emergency services, the Department of Health, and Government, in a more effective manner.”

Splitting the costs

Before the new group launched, the costs were disproportionately split. Now an equal subscription will be paid by each trust.

West explained that this was one of the initial reasons for the creation of a new organisation: “It’s a case of capturing the costs centrally and making sure there’s an equitable distribution of those costs.

“Equally, there was recognition that the interface with other emergency services needed to be strengthened.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) were unsure how they could talk to a body that could give them a voice for the ambulance service at a national level.

“ACEG weren’t able to do that because of the informality and because of the roles they were taking. “An independent organisation can speak on behalf of them without putting them in a potentially compromised situation. It makes life a lot easier to engage with stakeholders in the way that we need to.”

A work in progress

West admitted that setting up a new organisation always poses challenges. For the AACE this included trying to formalise costs, making sure they are visible and accepted.

“Trying to influence without power is always challenging, as is establishing the organisation in the wider stakeholders’ minds, so that they know the organisation exists. It’s a work in progress,” he said.

The financial climate is probably the greatest challenge, West explained. He said: “Trusts are facing a continued increase in demand, with static or slightly reduced resources; it is a difficult challenge to face and people have to be innovative to maintain performance delivery against that sort of agenda.

“Finances are tight across the whole public sector and everyone has to get maximum value form every pound spent, and as much as this is a small cost to all of the trusts, it is a cost. “There was real discussion about whether this was the right thing to do at this moment in time, but I think that ultimately the pressures outweighed the concerns.”

Best practice

To achieve these savings and meet rising demand, the AACE works to promote best practice throughout the trusts, via workshops and conferences.

West said: “We try to support and identify trusts where performance is good in particular areas and we’ve helped to identify what’s making it good in those areas. Sharing best practice is really important.”

And it’s not just the successes which should be shared, as West acknowledges: “We do learn from mistakes and lessons will be shared and embedded to produce support for managing future challenges. Recognising that when things don’t go as one would wish, you have to learn those lessons.”

A measure of speed

In terms of how the Government reforms are affecting ambulance services, West suggested the changes were “very positive” and while arrival time remains a focus of the new clinical quality indicators, developed with the Department of Health, it is important to recognise ambulance services’ wider contribution to patient care.

He continued: “The move to a broader set of clinical outcome indicators to view ambulance service quality and what we provide in terms of impact on patient care has been very welcome. Historically, we’ve been viewed as successful or otherwise purely on the basis of how quickly we get to a patient. “Now there’s a much broader view of the impact on patients’ clinical care.”

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