A "CULTURAL audit" is taking place to try and stop bullying at the ambulance service.

A report analysing the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust during 2015/16, and including details on staff behaviour, will be presented to the board and the public today.

It states almost a third of all staff complained they were being harassed or bullied by their colleagues.

A spokesman for the trust said: "Staff and behavioural related issues throughout the region need addressing, as does the speed with which things are done.

"The trust’s cultural audit will help identify the main issues so action can take place to change the existing culture."

The trust has already appointed a health and wellbeing manager, a freedom to speak up guardian and is developing a well being centre.

The spokesman added: "This is a genuine step towards identifying the changes the trust needs and the staff are at the centre of helping to make those changes."

A combination of the culture and the demand on paramedics has led to hundreds of staff leaving a trust which was already suffering a shortage.

These resulted in the trust registering the worst response figures for most life threatening emergencies last year.

And a student paramedic recruitment drive could take another two years to make a difference.

The spokesman said: "Nearly 800 student paramedics have joined the Trust in the last two years.

"The full benefit from these appointments will not be realised until they are fully trained, qualified and registered.

"The trust is looking to hire hundreds more patient-facing staff and has begun the process of recruiting 150 associate ambulance practitioners,100 graduate paramedics and 200 more student paramedics.

"There are also plans to train 100 existing ambulance care assistants and recruit another 150 intermediate practitioners.

The trust serves six counties, including Essex, but has been struggling with performance for a number of years.

Private ambulances are being used, at great cost, to fill in some of the gaps, but the trust failed to hit the most serious response targets last year and since April the figures have fallen again.

The spokesman said: "Ambulance performance nationally has been in decline for a number of years.

"There is a heavier reliance on 999 leading to an extraordinary increase in activity, and in particular higher acuity cases with more seriously ill people needing our help.

"On Saturday, July 16, we were picking up on average a new 999 call every three seconds."

There has also been an increase in patient safety incidents where something has gone wrong since the service has been under strain.

The spokesman said: "The system by which staff report incidents has improved vastly, which is a factor in seeing a higher number than the previous year.

"We have made progress in improving infection and prevention control and increased referrals for safeguarding and vulnerability including our first referral for female genital mutilation.

"We will also be introducing a quality improvement and professional standards team."

A board meeting and annual general meeting will be held at Great Notley Ambulance Station from 11am today.