The context
The London Ambulance Service (LAS), comprising of over 10,000 staff and volunteers, is a critical component of our healthcare system, providing emergency medical services to the diverse population of London. In recent years, LAS recognised the importance of fostering a workplace culture that embraces neurodiversity and supports the unique abilities of all its staff. To achieve this, LAS embarked on their partnership with Cognassist, and our leading neuro-inclusion platform.
The Challenge
The People & Culture Team at LAS identified a need to address neurodiversity in the workforce; Acknowledging that individuals with diverse cognitive profiles contribute valuable perspectives and skills. However, the organisation faced challenges in understanding and accommodating the diverse cognitive needs of its staff, which impacted overall performance, well-being, and collaboration.
The Solution
The Cognassist platform presented a comprehensive solution to LAS’s challenges. The combination of the robust cognitive assessment and extensive training across the business, has enabled LAS to gain detailed insights into the cognitive profiles of its workforce and develop a workplace culture that encourages their colleagues to be open, honest, supportive of others, and truly demonstrate their strengths.
The results of both the assessment and training are actively being used to tailor personalised interventions and make reasonable adjustments to support each individual’s cognitive strengths and address specific challenges.
‘We knew we needed to fix the system, not the people.’
Fareeha Usman
EDI Business Partner, People and Culture Team, London Ambulance Service
Implementation
Cognassist worked closely with LAS to customise training to align with the unique needs of the business. The implementation process included cognitive assessments and training sessions for LAS staff and managers, emphasizing the importance of neuro-inclusion and creating a supportive environment.
LAS incorporated Cognassist’s platform into its professional development programs, allowing employees to access personalised cognitive training modules via the platform’s user-friendly interface.
‘Content of the training was balanced and well-pitched. It clearly aligned to course objectives. The level and quality of the information was perfect for the Managers.’
Fareeha Usman
EDI Business Partner, People and Culture Team, London Ambulance Service
Results
The partnership between LAS and Cognassist has resulted in transformative outcomes for both the organisation and its employees:
Improved Employee Performance: Employees reported increased confidence and efficiency in their roles, as the cognitive training interventions targeted areas of improvement identified through assessments.
Enhanced Collaboration: LAS observed improved collaboration and communication among team members, fostering a more inclusive and supportive work environment.
Neurodiversity Cultural Change: The partnership with Cognassist contributed to a significant cultural shift within LAS. The organisation is becoming a pioneer in embracing neurodiversity, with increased awareness, understanding, and acceptance of diverse cognitive profiles.
‘We appreciate that not all colleagues wish to share their cognitive profile with their Manager or The People & Culture Team here at LAS, and that’s fine. But it’s been fantastic to see, via our partnership with Cognassist, over 84% of those who have identified as having a neuro-difference have felt comfortable to disclose this to us. This valuable insight into our workforce, along with continued training has, and will continue to enable us, to support the 66% of our colleagues who are neuro-different.’
Nicola Shipp
Health and Wellbeing Business Manager People and Culture Team, London Ambulance Service
‘As a result of the training we have created a safe space for everyone to discuss neuro-differences and for those who are personally neuro-different to disclose and seek support. We’ve notably seen more people feeling empowered to share sensitive information about their cognition and neuro-differences. In addition there’s a newfound understanding across the trust that It’s okay to be different. This has enabled us to build a foundation to roll out our ‘Reasonable Adjustments Policy and Guidance’ across the Trust. The training has undoubtedly improved our outcomes across the Trust.’
Fareeha Usman
EDI Business Partner, People and Culture Team, London Ambulance Service
'The training sessions provided by Cognassist have been really informative. They made me think about my own practice as a manager. I am aware of members of my team who have autism and how this affects them but I have not previously considered members with dyslexia and how the barrage of constant written communication must affect them.'
Anonymous Manager
London Ambulance Service
'The Cognassist training was really useful and informative. I think the more people that learn from this the better the organisation will become.'
Anonymous Manager
London Ambulance Service
Future Outlook
The success of the partnership with Cognassist positions LAS as a leader in neuro-inclusive practices within business. The organisation continues to collaborate with Cognassist to refine and expand its neurodiversity initiatives, aiming to set new standards for inclusivity and support within the healthcare industry.
In conclusion, the collaboration between London Ambulance Service and Cognassist has not only transformed the workplace culture within LAS but also set a precedent for other organisations seeking to embrace neurodiversity and create inclusive environments for their employees.
‘Here at LAS we continue to support all our colleagues, regardless of their disclosure, or non-disclosure, via the enhancement of our ‘Neuro-difference Disclosure Framework’, continuation of training and implementation of reasonable adjustments. Via our team’s dedication and the power of Cognassist we will continue to create the neuro-inclusive culture that we set out to achieve.’
Nicola Shipp
Health and Wellbeing Business Manager, People and Culture Team, London Ambulance Service
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