South Central Ambulance Charity secures £250,000 for staff mental health support
The funding will be used to set up a trauma-informed counselling programme
South Central Ambulance Charity has secured a £250,000 grant to expand mental health provision for ambulance staff working across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire.
The grant, awarded by NHS Charities Together and NHS England through a Workforce Wellbeing Fund, will support the development of a proactive, preventative trauma support programme for staff at South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS).
Vanessa Casey, Chief Executive of South Central Ambulance Charity, said the initiative is designed to ensure staff are “better prepared before they are exposed to trauma” and able to develop “healthy coping mechanisms” early in their careers.
She pointed to the impact of untreated trauma on the workforce: “It can result in long term sickness, post traumatic stress, and can mean that people will leave the service or experience escalating mental health issues."
The programme will focus on workers in their initial six months in post, with access to scheduled one-to-one support from qualified trauma counsellors.
“We’re looking at trying to de-escalate some of the issues surrounding trauma that our staff experience. In particular, new starters and student paramedics are naturally younger people with less lived experience, so it’s really important that we help support them to cope with the trauma they will naturally experience in their role,” Vanessa said.
Staff will be offered structured clinical support sessions aimed at improving early recognition of trauma impacts, reducing stigma around seeking help, and strengthening resilience.
The project forms part of an £11 million national programme, including £5 million from NHS England, and is one of 61 initiatives funded since 2024.
It follows findings from the NHS England Culture Review of Ambulance Trusts, which identified chronic trauma exposure and reactive wellbeing models as key drivers of low morale and disengagement.
Additionally, a staff survey data found nearly one in three NHS workers report feeling burnt out, with 42% experiencing work-related stress.
Vanessa said: “We know that our staff are under increasing pressure. The demand on services is rising, and historically there has been a reactive approach to wellbeing. This proactive model is about making support a default organisational responsibility.”
She added that the aim is to improve retention and reduce avoidable absence: “We want staff who are able to stay in the service and grow with it, not feel that the only option is to leave or go on long-term sickness.”