The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), which represents our service at a national level, has worked in partnership with NHS Providers and the NHS Confederation to develop a vision for the NHS ambulance sector.

AACE and its partners say that our core remit as ambulance services will always be to provide an emergency response to those who have a life-threatening health need and to major incidents. But this is a relatively small proportion of what ambulance services do, as most of our responses are to patients with urgent care needs.

The purpose of the vision publication is to prompt and guide meaningful conversations at national, regional and system level, about the potential for the ambulance service to take a greater role in leading and co-designing urgent and emergency care services.

The ambulance sector has much more to offer the rest of the NHS in improving urgent and emergency care. We can help to prevent ill health and keep people out of hospital. While pockets of best practice exist now, there is now an opportunity for commissioners and partner providers to look at the potential for us to do more for patients and relieve some of the system pressures.

Ambulance services are in a privileged position as we interact with each and every part of the health and care system – primary care, mental health, community services, allied health professions and secondary care, social care, other emergency services, voluntary services, local authorities, charities, private providers, and our commissioning bodies.

The paper explores the case for change and highlights key case studies that demonstrate the vital contribution that ambulance services are already making.