Association of Ambulance Chief Executives

What Association of Ambulance Chief Executives does

The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) is the UK membership organization for statutory ambulance services, established in 2011 and structured as a private company limited by guarantee under the Companies Act 2006. It represents all 13 UK NHS ambulance services — the ten English NHS ambulance trusts and the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust as full members, with Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, and Gibraltar as associate members — and functions as the designated interface between ambulance services and national bodies including NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Care Quality Commission. AACE's core activities are organized around three functions: connecting, coordinating and facilitating; producing, delivering and commissioning bespoke work; and advocating, influencing, engaging and communicating.

AACE's product portfolio centers on the JRCALC Clinical Practice Guidelines (developed on its behalf by the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee), distributed via desktop and mobile applications (JRCALC iCPG and JRCALC Plus) that function without phone signal; national programmes including the Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Programme, Violence Prevention and Reduction Hub, Reducing Misogyny and Improving Sexual Safety Programme, and Ambulance Volunteering Strategy and Dashboard; the ODQI commercial consultancy service staffed by 20+ subject matter experts; and the annual Ambulance Leadership Forum, AACE's flagship convening event. It also coordinates ten national workstream groups spanning Communications, Finance, Operations, HR, Digital, Medical, Quality Improvement, Governance and Risk, Resilience, and Strategy and Transformation.

AACE generates revenue primarily through limited subscriptions from each member NHS ambulance trust, supplemented by fee income from ODQI commercial consultancy delivered to ambulance services locally and internationally, and by commissioned programme funding from bodies such as NHS England and NHS Charities Together. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and an AACE Council chaired by the Chair of East Midlands Ambulance Service, with Anna Parry serving as Managing Director. AACE launched a new Five-Year Strategy 2026-2030 in February 2026, setting out five priority areas including patient care, financial and regulatory enablers, people and leadership, digital transformation, and sector collaboration.

Name

Association of Ambulance Chief Executives

Legal name

Association of Ambulance Chief Executives

Website

https://aace.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AACE is the UK membership organization representing all 13 statutory NHS ambulance services, providing national policy coordination, JRCALC clinical guidelines, ODQI consultancy, and commissioned programmes in areas such as cardiac arrest, violence prevention, and volunteering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: The Association is funded by limited subscriptions from each of its member organisations. Chief Executives of all ten English NHS ambulance trusts and Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust are full members. Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, and Gibraltar are associate members.
2. ODQI Commercial Services: AACE provides bespoke commercial support services through its Operational Development and Quality Improvement (ODQI) Team, providing consultancy to enhance ambulance services both locally and internationally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AACE is a UK membership organisation that supports the country's statutory NHS ambulance services by coordinating national policy implementation, advocating on their behalf, and producing clinical guidance. It also delivers bespoke commercial consultancy through its Operational Development and Quality Improvement (ODQI) team, drawing on a network of 20+ subject matter experts to help ambulance services locally and internationally.

Product overview

AACE provides a portfolio of interconnected products and services supporting UK NHS ambulance services. The core offerings include the AACE website/portal as the central hub, JRCALC Clinical Practice Guidelines (delivered via desktop and mobile apps - iCPG and Plus) serving as the essential resource for paramedics, and ODQI Services providing bespoke commercial support. AACE coordinates national programmes including the Ambulance Leadership Forum (annual flagship event), Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Programme, Violence Prevention & Reduction Hub, National Ambulance Volunteering Programme (with strategy, dashboard, and resources), and Reducing Misogyny and Improving Sexual Safety Programme. Additional offerings encompass national workstreams across ten functional areas, policy documents including the Ambulance Emergency and Urgent Care Service Specification, and the Five-Year Strategy 2026-2030. These products collectively enable AACE to connect, coordinate, facilitate, produce, deliver, commission, advocate, influence, engage, and communicate on behalf of the UK ambulance sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• JRCALC Clinical Practice Guidelines Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee clinical guidelines providing essential clinical guidance for UK NHS ambulance service paramedics, forming the basis for paramedic training and education.
• JRCALC iCPG App Mobile application containing complete and current JRCALC clinical guidance for paramedics; remains fully functional without phone signal.
• JRCALC Plus App Mobile and web application providing complete clinical guidance for paramedics; fully functional without phone signal.
• ODQI Services Operational Development and Quality Improvement bespoke commercial support services providing ambulance service expertise through over 20 subject matter experts, delivered both locally in the UK and internationally.
• Ambulance Leadership Forum (ALF) UK's flagship annual event for senior leaders across the NHS ambulance sector, featuring networking, strategic alignment, research presentations, and awards dinner.
• Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Programme National programme focused on building community resilience, enhancing bystander action, reducing inequalities, and improving survival rates for cardiac arrest patients across UK ambulance services.
• Violence Prevention & Reduction Hub NHS England commissioned hub providing data sharing, education, and collaboration workstreams to support ambulance sector efforts in improving staff safety against violence and assault.
• National Ambulance Volunteering Dashboard National analytics dashboard highlighting volunteering activities, contributions, and impact across clinical and non-clinical volunteering opportunities within UK ambulance services.
• Reducing Misogyny and Improving Sexual Safety Programme Joint programme with Office of Chief Allied Health Professions Officer producing publications including What We Know, National Consensus Statement, and Next Steps documents aimed at reducing misogyny and improving sexual safety in the ambulance service.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ambulance services increasingly support patients with urgent care needs with approximately 46-50% of patients who called 999 cared for at home or within the community
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• NHS ProviderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024AACE developed A vision for the NHS ambulance sector in partnership with NHS Providers and NHS Confederation. Jointly produced long-term vision paper for ambulance services' enhanced role in urgent and emergency care provision.
• NHS ConfederationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024AACE developed A vision for the NHS ambulance sector in partnership with NHS Confederation and NHS Providers. Jointly produced long-term vision paper for ambulance services' enhanced role in urgent and emergency care provision.
• Office of the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023AACE and CAHPO jointly launched three publications aimed at reducing misogyny and improving sexual safety in the ambulance service. Formal launch at Ambulance Leadership Forum October 2023 by Chief Allied Health Professions Officer for England Suzanne Rastrick.
• NHS EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS England commissioned AACE to deliver a Violence Prevention and Reduction Hub specifically designed for NHS ambulance services. Also partnered on #WorkWithoutFear campaign, anti-racism initiatives, and NHS 10-Year Health Plan response.
• Department of Health & Social CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAACE is a key point of contact with the ambulance services' main partner agencies at national level including Department of Health & Social Care.
• Care Quality Commission (CQC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAACE strives to be the first point of call for enquiries and consultations about ambulance service provision from regulators including CQC.
• National Police Chiefs CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAACE works closely with National Police Chiefs Council as part of its stakeholder engagement at national level.
• National Fire Chiefs CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAACE works closely with National Fire Chiefs Council as part of its stakeholder engagement at national level.
• Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee (JRCALC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJRCALC develops clinical guidelines for UK NHS ambulance service paramedics on behalf of AACE, working closely alongside National Ambulance Service Medical Directors. Guidelines form basis for UK paramedic training and education.
• Class PublishingsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorClass Publishing distributes JRCALC iCPG and JRCALC Plus apps containing complete clinical guidance for paramedics. Updates published throughout the year with web versions available.
• Priority DispatchsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPriority Dispatch is the event partner for ALF (Ambulance Leadership Forum), the UK's flagship annual event for senior leaders across the NHS ambulance sector.
• The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTASC is the national UK charity dedicated to supporting mental, physical and financial wellbeing of the UK ambulance community. AACE works with TASC on staff support initiatives including suicide prevention and sexual safety.
• Resuscitation Council UKsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAACE supports Restart a Heart Week national campaign promoting CPR training and public awareness. Also supports The Circuit - UK National Defibrillator Network.
• University of WarwicksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Warwick hosts the OHCAO (Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Outcomes) registry and produces annual epidemiology reports on cardiac arrest data.
• GoodSAM AppsupportingTechnology or IntegrationGoodSAM technology links trained responders to nearby cardiac arrests. Used by EEAST for UK-first video-CPR scheme to support bystanders delivering CPR.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The King's Fund: The King's Fund is an independent charity working to improve health and care in England. Operates as an influential think tank and consultancy in the same NHS policy and improvement space that AACE inhabits, with broader healthcare scope.
• Royal College of Emergency Medicine: Royal College of Emergency Medicine is the professional body for emergency medicine doctors. Operates adjacently in the same urgent and emergency care ecosystem as AACE, with overlapping interest in service specification, clinical standards, and ED-ambulance interface.

Direct peers

• College of Paramedics: College of Paramedics is the UK professional body representing paramedics and the paramedic profession. Directly comparable as a UK ambulance-sector membership organisation with an overlapping remit on clinical standards, education, and workforce policy.
• NHS Providers: NHS Providers is the membership organisation for NHS acute, ambulance, community, and mental health trusts. Directly comparable to AACE as a UK NHS membership body representing trust leadership, advocating for members, and providing policy and development support.
• National Fire Chiefs Council: NFCC is the UK professional and coordinating body for chief fire officers across UK fire and rescue services. A structural peer to AACE as a UK emergency-services membership organisation with national coordination, policy advocacy, and convening functions.
• NHS Confederation: NHS Confederation is the membership body for organisations that commission and provide NHS services. Co-produced the sector vision paper with AACE, making it a direct peer in the same UK NHS membership-association space.
• Resuscitation Council UK: Resuscitation Council UK is the national body for resuscitation guidelines and training, and an explicit AACE partner on Restart a Heart and The Circuit defibrillator network. A focused clinical-standards membership body directly comparable to AACE's JRCALC function.
• National Police Chiefs' Council: NPCC is the UK national coordinating body for police chief officers, structurally analogous to AACE as a membership organisation that coordinates national policy across UK policing forces. AACE explicitly works alongside NPCC on cross-emergency-services initiatives.

Emerging players

• Health Foundation: Health Foundation is an independent charity focused on improving health and health care in the UK. Comparable as an evidence-driven organisation that influences UK NHS policy and improvement, complementing AACE's operational focus with research and analytics.
• The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC): TASC is the UK charity dedicated to the mental, physical, and financial wellbeing of ambulance staff. Works closely with AACE on staff support programmes including suicide prevention and sexual safety, operating as a complementary sector-body within the UK ambulance ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aace_org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-of-ambulance-chief-executives-aace
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association of Ambulance Chief Executives