Melanie Saunders

Appointed to the role of Director of HR & OD for South Central Ambulance Service in April 2016 to lead the HR, Recruitment and Education functions within the Trust, my role is to ensure that the Trust meets its strategic and operational aims by providing effective leadership, developing and delivering a successful Workforce, Education and Organisational Development strategy. Delivering the right workforce for the organisation

My core responsibilities include:

• To formulate and oversee the delivery of our annual workforce and education plans, ensuring they are aligned to our strategic and transformation plans and are delivered within budget.
• To lead the delivery our ambitions of being an employer of choice through the development of our approach to health, wellbeing and staff engagement
• Leadership of the Trust’s employee relations enabling effective and appropriate involvement, engagement and consultation with our staff and TU representatives
• To ensure the Trust is compliant with equality and diversity legislation and that it is embedded through the culture of the organisation.

I started my career in HR during 1993, joining Oxfordshire Ambulance NHS Trust in 1996 where I developed the HR function for the Trust taking up the role of Director of HR & Governance in 2002. During 2006, following Transforming NHS Ambulance Trusts and resulting merger of Two Shires, Oxfordshire, Royal Berkshire and Hampshire Ambulance NHS Trusts, I secured role of Assistant Director of HR (Operations).