In this guest blog, Christine Jacobs, People Profession Map Project Manager at the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust, shows how the ambulance sector has embedded the NHS People Profession Map, in close alignment with the CIPD Profession Map.
The NHS People Profession Map sets out the national standards for the People Profession in the NHS, enabling the profession to achieve its vision for the future and support the NHS to thrive in years to come. Developed by NHS England with members of the profession in the NHS and in collaboration with the CIPD, HPMA and NHS Employers, the Map sets out the knowledge, behaviours and specialist expertise needed to deliver high‑quality people services at every level. It aligns closely with the CIPD People Profession Map, but is shaped specifically for the NHS context, a system that is complex, fast‑moving and deeply people‑centred.
Over the last year, the ambulance sector has taken a coordinated, sector‑led approach to embedding the NHS People Profession Map. This has created a shared language, a clearer sense of professional identity and a strong foundation for future skills development for the profession.
The rollout has been practical, collaborative and focused on building confidence across all 10 ambulance Trusts in England. Key elements included:
Every ambulance Trust is now fully onboarded, with self‑assessment completion rates exceeding expectations. This has created a rich dataset of strengths, gaps and emerging themes across the profession.
Individual impact
For many people professionals, the NHS People Profession Map has provided clarity about their current capability, a stronger sense of career direction and greater confidence in how their work contributes to organisational outcomes. Colleagues describe feeling more credible, more connected, engaged and more aware of their professional identity.
Trust-level impact
Through the shared self‑assessment platform, Trusts now have access to robust, consistent data aligned to the Map that supports evidence‑based workforce planning, targeted development priorities, better investment decisions and stronger conversations with leadership.
For example, South Western Ambulance Service has introduced a people directorate development plan that demonstrates clear and inclusive opportunities for growth. Engagement with the plan is strong across all levels of the directorate, enabled by monthly updates that promote visibility, participation, and a culture of continuous learning. Engagement is further demonstrated through strong participation in bite-sized development sessions, which achieve average attendance of 47.5%, and a substantial programme of learning activity, with a record 62 development opportunities offered in February alone in addition to NHS England’s formal learning offers. Complementing formal learning, there is an increased emphasis on experiential and social learning, empowering colleagues to take ownership of their development through peer learning, stretch assignments and practical application, in line with the NHS England recommended 70:20:10 learning model.
System-level impact
The programme was recently showcased at the Association for Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) Ambulance Leadership Forum, helping position people profession development as a strategic priority across the sector.
The shared self-assessment platform aligned to the standards in the NHS People Profession Map has highlighted ambulance sector wide key development themes. Alongside other evidence-based sources, these key development themes have informed NHS England’s People profession development plans, helping to ensure that the specific needs and priorities of the ambulance sector are reflected within the future development agenda for the profession.
The ambulance sector has shown that a shared professional framework can be implemented at scale while still allowing local ownership and flexibility.
The programme demonstrates the power of a professional framework when it’s embedded consistently, supported by high‑quality data and used to shape development and decision‑making.
It reinforces the value of the CIPD Profession Map as a foundation for standards, credibility and shared language. It also highlights the growing importance of accreditation, evidence‑based development and strategic influence, not only in the NHS, but across all sectors.
The next phase, endorsed by the national ambulance sector Chief People Officer Directors group, focuses on supporting all ambulance Trusts to progress their directorate development plans. This includes work on:
Momentum is already building, with early progress at South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, South East Coast and London. Dawn Chilcott, Assistant Director of OD and Culture at South East Coast Ambulance Service, has been a leading force in championing the progression of the map and development for the profession. Dawn is a great example of the talent this joined-up approach is helping to celebrate, and she has endorsed increased CIPD membership to strengthen credibility and consistency.
The ambulance sector’s experience shows what’s possible when a profession unites around a shared standard and a collective ambition to raise the bar.
With alignment to the national standards set by NHS England via the Map, ambulance sector leadership and individual ownership, the ambulance sector is building a future‑ready People profession that is confident, credible and ready for the future ahead.