JUST days after the General Election polls closed, staff from Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service NHS Trust are boarding their own battle bus today as it tours ambulance stations across the two counties.

The bus is part of a programme to raise staff awareness of issues such as childcare provision, flexible retirement, healthy working, equalities and diversity, and training and development.

Senior members of the trust team will be travelling on the bus to talk to hundreds of employees about how they benefit from the NHS Improving Working Lives initiative.

IWL is a national standard of good practice for human resources management across the NHS.

Trusts are measured against two standards - practice and practice plus.

Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service NHS Trust achieved practice standard in 2004 and will be assessed against the practice plus standard this autumn.

Human resources manager Elaine Newberry said: "The trust has nearly 500 staff in 15 locations, many of whom work shifts, so we have to find innovative ways of reaching them. We thought a battle bus would be the best way to raise awareness of the ways in which we can help staff in their working lives."

Chief executive, Russell B Hamilton, said he is determined that Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service should be at the leading edge of human resource management and staff involvement.

"I have a clear view of an organisation that is committed to the principles of fairness, equity and diversity within the workforce and the highest possible standard of care for those we serve," he said.

"As we work towards our aim to be a world class ambulance service, it is very important that staff feel valued and are empowered to get on with their job of providing high quality services."