Racism in the ambulance service: a personal reflection

Recent Black Lives Matter protests and the frequency of injustice surrounding the deaths of George Floyd, Shukri Abdi and Ahmaud Arbery, to name but a few, have empowered the voices of those belonging to ethnic minorities to speak out on the biases they have experienced in comparison with their white colleagues.

An online conversation was recently hosted by the National Ambulance black and minority ethnic (BME) Forum in conjunction with the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) that brought together paramedics, clinical leads and managers to discuss how we can better support, care for and improve understanding of our BME people and communities.

Topics discussed ranged from identifying how to be a better ally against racism and realising the differences in privilege that a white individual may have in the ambulance sector in comparison to their colleague of an ethnic minority. Melissa Berry, the Diversity Consultant for the London Ambulance Service, spoke on why we should not be afraid to say ‘Black Lives Matter’.