An innovative piece of work by South East Coast Ambulance Service’s (SECAmb’s) Shadow Board, which has strengthened the Trust’s approach to tackling violence and aggression towards staff, has been welcomed by its Group Chair, Colin Dennis in his first Trust Board meeting.

The Shadow Board, a group of colleagues established last year to provide staff insight and constructive challenge to the Trust Board, was asked to carry out a deep dive review into violence and aggression experienced by their SECAmb colleagues.

A report, written by SECAmb Security Manager, Dave Monk, and presented at SECAmb’s Trust Board meeting on 6 August outlined actions taken by the Trust following recommendations made by the Shadow Board in February.

They include closer partnership working with police and mental health services, greater integration between SECAmb teams managing violence and aggression risks, improvements to body worn camera accessibility and strengthened staff training.

Board members noted that reported incidents of violence and aggression at SECAmb more than doubled from 752 in 2019 to a high of 1,529 in 2024 before falling to 1,421 in 2025.

Actions on the recommendations aim to further reduce incidents of violence and aggression by accelerating safety improvements. Further progress will be reported back to the Shadow Board in six months to provide assurance that actions are continuing to mitigate risks to colleagues.

Chief Paramedic Officer, Jaqui Lindridge, who presented the paper on behalf of Interim Chief Nurse, Jo Turner who was unable to attend said: “I’m confident that the work of the Shadow Board is helping us make real progress in improving the safety of our teams.

“We recognise that there is more to do but its insight and recommendations are helping us strengthen our approach to tackling this issue and speed up improvements across a number of areas, including risk identification, staff support, training and partnership working.

“We remain committed to ensuring all colleagues feel safe, supported and confident that any incident will be taken seriously and acted upon.”

SECAmb Group Chair Colin Dennis said: “In attending my first Trust Board meeting as Group Chair, I welcome the focus Shadow Board colleagues have brought to improving the safety of our teams and the link they provide the board to all staff.

“It’s clear their fresh look at this important issue, alongside constructive challenge of current arrangements, has led to improvements in how we tackle violence and aggression. The Shadow Board demonstrates the value of involving colleagues, who can bring their lived experience, to deliver change and help shape our service.”

Shadow Board member and Paramedic Philip Taylor said: “We were pleased to have had the opportunity to gather insight from colleagues and to support the Trust Board in this important work. We look forward to seeing the actions develop and the positive difference they make. By bringing frontline insight to the Trust Board we hope to create lasting improvements for both our colleagues and patients.”

The full report is available to read on page 36 of our August Trust Board Papers.