London Ambulance Service were faced with poor staff satisfaction across the board, shown by their position as the 2nd lowest ambulance trust in the NHS Staff Survey.
Our proven four-part approach guided a full transformation at LAS: appreciate, involve everyone, align everything, and practice every day.
In just over a year, London Ambulance Service went from near the bottom of the NHS staff survey rankings to being shortlisted for Trust of the Year.
The challenge
London Ambulance Service (LAS) faced a deeply troubling reality:
Kinder organisations are happier, more productive, cost-effective and safer.
LAS knew their culture had to change
and that A Kind Life would help to make that happen at pace and at scale
We support teams to co-create and truly live the culture they want to see. Our proven four-part approach guided a full transformation at LAS: appreciate, involve everyone, align everything and practice every day…
Our approach
Appreciate
We always start by meeting people where they’re at. That meant getting under the skin of LAS’s reality.
- Fact-finding calls to understand LAS’s realities and existing efforts - the pain points, progress and possibilities.
- Launching a campaign to drive participation in our “Values into Action” workshops.
- Weekly coaching sessions with both the project and executive teams.
Involve everyone
A movement can only be built by engaging and co-creating with staff across the organisation.
- Delivered 15 interactive “Values into Action” workshops to 250+ staff per session, reaching over 20% of the organisation.
- Staff shared what made for good days – and bad ones – building empathy and collective ownership.
- The feedback was consistent: attendees left feeling more optimistic, hopeful and positive.
Align everything
We distilled our insights into a values-led programme and equipped LAS to embed these values across the employee experience, including:
- Values-based appraisals.
- A systemic approach to reduce bullying and harassment.
- Refreshed talent management strategies.
- A new team configuration model designed with staff, for staff.
Practice everyday
Culture changes when people
see it being role modelled. We
ran workshops with LAS leaders
and managers, tailoring our
practical tools and guidance in
their own words – so the work
aligned with the change people
wanted to see. We delivered:
- Three one-day masterclasses for 750+ clinical and managerial leaders.
- Training in self-awareness, inclusive leadership, and respectful communication.
- We also rolled out A Kind Life’s e-learning platform - on-demand, CPD-accredited courses hosted on the Trust’s LMS, giving 8,000+ staff easy access to practical tools for kinder behaviours.
In parallel, we responded to LAS’s need to tackle racism and close equity gaps by delivering a programme focused on inclusion and allyship.
“I thought I’d feel stigmatised, but I didn’t. I can see now why I need to change, and how.”
- 240 Equality, Diversity & Inclusion workshops.
- 86.5% rated sessions 4 or 5 stars.
- Reached 5,000+ staff across LAS.
The outcomes
In just over a year, London Ambulance Service went from near the bottom of the NHS staff survey rankings to being shortlisted for Trust of the Year.
Staff morale
Response rate
Sickness leave
Staff engagement
“We are a team” agreement
Recommendation as a workplace
This organisation-wide culture transformation has reshaped how 8,000 people work, lead, and care.
A Kind Life’s culture improvement programme involved thousands of front-line staff, managers, and leaders in co-creating and embedding the culture they want to see. It is the foundation we needed. And we are so pleased to have been shortlisted for the prestigious HSJ Trust of the Year Award.