Your gateway to proven ambulance service expertise
Driving improvement in ambulance systems, processes and practices is at the core of AACE’s growing reputation as a provider of expert commercial support services – both in the UK and abroad.
The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives provides bespoke commercial support services through its Operational Development and Quality Improvement (ODQI) Team that help its clients address the wide range of challenges which are encountered in delivering a modern clinically relevant ambulance service.
In doing so AACE is focused on the need for its member services to play a full and ever developing role in the wider provision of Urgent and Emergency Care in line with the vision for ambulance services, which it published in March 2024.
More recently we published the ambulance sector response to the NHS 10-Year Plan (Sept 2025), and our new five‑year strategy (Jan 2026), setting out a clear and ambitious roadmap supporting the future of NHS ambulance services across the UK.
As the UK’s representative body for public sector ambulance services, AACE is uniquely placed to help address a multitude of challenges facing ambulance services. We are also able to conduct sophisticated benchmarking exercises and facilitate the sharing of best practice across the sector.
AACE has over 20 subject matter experts (SMEs) available to support its members and all of these individuals have proven experience in delivering modern ambulance services. The majority of those SMEs have worked at executive level in UK services or internationally and as such represent a pool of expertise which is truly unique to AACE.
Over recent years AACE has provided support to the majority of ambulance services in England and the devolved administrations and also works to support international clients facing similar challenges in delivering high quality ambulance services within a rapidly developing urgent care environment.
Whilst primarily focused on publicly provided ambulance services, the expertise that rests within AACE can also be applied to organisations and jurisdictions that provide their local populations with private healthcare solutions.
The AACE support philosophy is to work closely with the client’s management teams to truly understand the challenges being faced and to co-develop wherever possible practical and deliverable solutions.
Areas of support
Executive Mentoring & Coaching
Senior managers moving into new executive roles benefit from access to experienced mentors. Build confidence and capability with our confidential mentoring relationships.
Articulate your vision and role in the changing urgent care environment. We assist with comprehensive 5-year strategies that are both impactful and deliverable.
Wide range of operational support including demand and capacity reviews, benchmarking, performance improvement plans, and operational structure reviews.
Robust EPRR systems to meet national standards. Our experts have managed major incidents including the 7/7 and Manchester Arena bombings, the Grenfell Tower Fire and the London Bridge terror attack.
Specialist support for HR, finance, and quality teams including strategy development, workforce planning, investigations and cost reduction programmes.
Develop effective volunteering strategies with our national ambulance volunteering strategy expertise. Review, develop, or optimise existing arrangements.
Build strong partnerships with trade unions through facilitated programmes designed to create mutual trust, respect, and effective collaborative working.
Insightful and proven programmes delivering positive organisational cultures that ensure inclusivity and psychological safety for employees, volunteers and students alike.
The additional senior expertise that AACE can bring is designed to augment that which the organisation already has in place and adds much needed capacity together with innovative thinking based on a sound knowledge of what works within the pre-hospital care environment.
We are able to support diagnostic work, the design of innovative solutions and follow up with practical support in implementing those solutions alongside the client.
AACE is able to provide bespoke support at competitive rates for its members which is often of a higher quality and better value than that provided by some of the more traditional major consultancy providers.
Any income which is generated through providing bespoke consultancy support is channelled back into core AACE finances and used to allow AACE to provide a wider offering to its members without increasing its membership subscription rates.