Emergency services around the world are operating on increasingly tight budgets and with insufficient resources. At the same time, they are being asked to maintain or improve service standards. While these pressures affect the overall quality of service provision, they also have a very real and personal impact on frontline workers.

Today, staff welfare is a defining issue in the emergency service sector. From employee performance and team morale to talent attraction and retention, staff welfare has a profound effect on emergency services' abilities to meet targets, deliver appropriate levels of care and implement long-term strategies. Poor staff morale and high employee turnover are disruptive, expensive and result in sub-optimal service provision.

Consequently, more emergency service organisations are looking to advanced simulation solutions and data-driven optimisation techniques to better balance operational performance and employee well-being. One such organisation is the UK-based Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST).

Delivered with input from Hugh Bennett, the Assistant Director of Commissioning and Performance at WAST, and Tef Jansma, Omda’s Lead Modeller and Analyst for WAST, this presentation will explore the ways WAST leverages simulation software and advanced analytics to model operational scenarios and optimise staff well-being.

From modelling various meal break variables, including break duration, location and interruption rules, to simulating end-of-shift practices and policies, the presentation examines how WAST responds to employee needs while balancing operational imperatives, such as response time. Drawing on real-world experience, the presentation will detail how data-driven modelling software and professional services enables WAST to implement effective changes that prioritise employee welfare, respect operational targets and empower the organisation to do more with less.