Skip navigation
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) logo
  • Ambulance Academy
  • News
  • Events
  • Publications
  • Media
  • Donate
Use this link to enable the ReciteMe accessibility toolkit Enable ReciteMe accessibility tools
  • Home
  • Our service
    • Urgent and emergency care (999)
    • Non-emergency (111)
    • Patient Transport Service (PTS)
    • Major incidents
    • Emergency advice
    • Information for professionals
    • Other ways we can help
    • Help accessing our services
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • Get involved
    • Volunteer with us
    • Support our charity
    • Support our campaigns
    • Children and youth
    • Lifesaving skills
    • Events
    • Share your experience
    • What happens with your feedback?
    • Talk to us on social media
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • About us
    • Who we are
    • Our locations
    • Our strategy and values
    • How we are doing
    • Board of directors
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Research and development
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • Join our team
    • Current vacancies
    • Join our team
    • Why work with us
    • Explore roles
    • Working with the Armed Forces
    • Applying for a job
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • Contact us
    • FOI and EIR
    • General enquiries
    • Lost property
    • Make a complaint
    • Healthcare professional (HCP) and social care complaint/enquiry form
    • Point taken
    • Send a thank you
    • Tell us about your defibrillator
    • CardiacSmart Accredited and Accredited+ application form
    • CardiacSmart Accredited partner application form
    • Tell us how we did
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • Home
  • Our service
    • Urgent and emergency care (999)
    • Non-emergency (111)
    • Patient Transport Service (PTS)
    • Major incidents
    • Emergency advice
    • Information for professionals
    • Other ways we can help
    • Help accessing our services
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • Get involved
    • Volunteer with us
    • Support our charity
    • Support our campaigns
    • Children and youth
    • Lifesaving skills
    • Events
    • Share your experience
    • What happens with your feedback?
    • Talk to us on social media
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • About us
    • Who we are
    • Our locations
    • Our strategy and values
    • How we are doing
    • Board of directors
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Research and development
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • Join our team
    • Current vacancies
    • Join our team
    • Why work with us
    • Explore roles
    • Working with the Armed Forces
    • Applying for a job
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • Contact us
    • FOI and EIR
    • General enquiries
    • Lost property
    • Make a complaint
    • Healthcare professional (HCP) and social care complaint/enquiry form
    • Point taken
    • Send a thank you
    • Tell us about your defibrillator
    • CardiacSmart Accredited and Accredited+ application form
    • CardiacSmart Accredited partner application form
    • Tell us how we did
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?

Search the site

  • Home
  • Our service
    • Urgent and emergency care (999)
    • Non-emergency (111)
    • Patient Transport Service (PTS)
    • Major incidents
    • Emergency advice
    • Information for professionals
    • Other ways we can help
    • Help accessing our services
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • Get involved
    • Volunteer with us
    • Support our charity
    • Support our campaigns
    • Children and youth
    • Lifesaving skills
    • Events
    • Share your experience
    • What happens with your feedback?
    • Talk to us on social media
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • About us
    • Who we are
    • Our locations
    • Our strategy and values
    • How we are doing
    • Board of directors
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Research and development
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • Join our team
    • Current vacancies
    • Join our team
    • Why work with us
    • Explore roles
    • Working with the Armed Forces
    • Applying for a job
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • Contact us
    • FOI and EIR
    • General enquiries
    • Lost property
    • Make a complaint
    • Healthcare professional (HCP) and social care complaint/enquiry form
    • Point taken
    • Send a thank you
    • Tell us about your defibrillator
    • CardiacSmart Accredited and Accredited+ application form
    • CardiacSmart Accredited partner application form
    • Tell us how we did
    Need to arrange transport using our Patient Transport Service (PTS)?
  • Ambulance Academy
  • News
  • Events
  • Publications
  • Media
  • Donate
Home > News > Announcements > Being LGBT+ in the ambulance service: Sarah Scullion’s story

Being LGBT+ in the ambulance service: Sarah Scullion’s story

Posted 22nd February 2023

Next up in our LGBT+ History Month case studies is Operations Manager Sarah Scullion. She talks to us about what barriers she has faced in her career and what she thinks can be done to improve working experiences for the LGBT+ community.

Share this page

Sarah Scullion joined the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) family in 2013 after a career change. Sarah went from responding on the frontline as a police community support officer to responding as a paramedic. She told us, “Following five years in GMP, I decided to enrol in a paramedic course out of curiosity really. As it turned out, I really enjoyed the content. I jumped ship and left my career in the police.”

When Sarah first joined us, she was already ‘out’, yet at first, she felt anxious about discussing her sexuality with her colleagues. Sarah said, “I was ‘out’ when I joined the ambulance service but I don’t think I mentioned it unless I was directly asked. I didn’t feel it was relevant but probably more honestly, I was a little nervous as to how it would be received. I think I was talking freely and openly about my social life after a couple of months”.

Over the last 10 years, Sarah has seen a change in the ambulance culture. She explained, “In my first few years as a student paramedic I overheard a manager using homophobic abusive language in an open office, I didn’t feel that I could challenge him at the time. I’m really disappointed that as a student I couldn’t find my voice to stand up for what is right. However, this one early incident has been outweighed by countless positive interactions. In fact, I struggle to think of a time when my sexuality has been relevant in the workplace these days.”

Since that early incident a decade ago, Sarah has seen a shift in the culture at NWAS but despite this, she believes there is more that can be done. She explains, “I think the culture of NWAS and society, in general, is changing. There is a new generation of managers coming up with a much more open and people-focused approach. I would describe NWAS as inclusive and supportive, however, there is always more that can be done. I think we can improve staff representation, by hiring people who reflect our communities. Our BAME representation isn’t where it needs to be. In the same vein, I think we can do better at having management that reflects our frontline staff. For example, we need to level up the number of females in management. Only by interacting with different races, sexualities and all types of people, can we truly be diverse, learn from each other and be inclusive.”

Archive

  • 2023
  • 2022

Contact us

General enquiries

0345 112 0999 To call general enquiries, click this link or dial 0345 112 0999

These numbers should NOT be used to contact us in an emergency. In an emergency dial 999 immediately or for non-urgent medical advice call NHS 111.

How to find us

Directions to our offices
CQC Good rating widget

  • Help
  • Privacy policy
  • Freedom of Information
  • Contact us
  • Green Room

© Copyright 2023 North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
. Lovingly crafted by Mixd