‘It’s weird how white you are’, Alliance boss tells ambulance leaders

Ambulance chiefs have been urged to take greater efforts to ensure their workforce is more diverse by NHS Alliance chair Lord Victor Adebowale.

Lord Adebowale told the Ambulance Leadership Forum that it was “weird” to be in an environment which was so predominantly white.

The NHS Alliance is the body formed by the union between NHS Providers and the NHS Confederation. 

Its chair told the annual forum of ambulance chiefs: “I can’t believe how white you are”, noting most of the other meetings he went to had at least 5 per cent non-white participants.

He praised the work ambulance trusts had been doing to improve the treatment of LGBT+ and neurodiverse staff but added the sector had a “problem” with racial diversity.

Lord Adebowale said: “It is not sustainable, it’s not credible. So whatever you are doing it is not working fast enough.”

Rates of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff in ambulance trusts are lower than in other parts of the NHS. In part, this reflects a paramedic population that is predominately white, with overseas recruitment tending to focus on countries like Australia which have similar training.

There is only one BAME CEO in the sector – North West Ambulance Service’s Salman Desai – and a sprinkling of executive directors. None of the 10 English ambulance trusts are led by a woman. 

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Source: HSJ, 23 March 2026