Our members have identified priority areas for the network to focus on during 2011/12 including the need to bring members together on issues of
shared concern and continuing to influence the shape of the health and social care system.

Supporting our members

In 2011/12 the Ambulance Service Network (ASN) will continue to provide a strong and independent voice for UK ambulance services
on urgent and emergency care and help ambulance services to work more closely with the rest of the NHS and other key stakeholders in health and social care.

Our key work areas 2011/12

Our work programme for 2011/12 has been shaped by our members' priorities:

The NHS reforms and influencing their impact on NHS ambulance trusts

The ASN is closely monitoring the Health and Social Care Bill’s journey through Parliament. In 2010/11, we made sure that our members’ concerns were highlighted in our consultation responses and we will continue to lobby on aspects of the reforms that impact on ambulance services and urgent and unscheduled care so that the position of ASN members remains strong.

Implementation issues

Future arrangements for ambulance service commissioning are critical. We will continue our work alongside stakeholders such
as the British Medical Association (BMA) to press for ambulance service commissioning to be organised at the most appropriate ‘level’ in the system.

Bringing the system together

In 2011/12 we will continue to foster a greater understanding of the role of the ambulance service and to position the ambulance service as an integral partner in the urgent, unscheduled and emergency care system.

We will undertake work with GPs to develop early dialogue between emerging GP consortia leads and the ambulance service to support mutually beneficial working relationships.

Innovation

The network will showcase models of good practice undertaken by its members to share across the health and social care sector, including international examples. We will also include good
practice from other industries, for example, looking at issues of mobilising volunteers and the use of ‘lean’ techniques to improve services.

Find out more about our work in 2011/12 and our activity over the last 12 months.