Shyamali (Shy) Das-Bharadwa, Equality & Diversity Project Officer at the Scottish Ambulance Service, shares how joining the Endometriosis Friendly Employer scheme last year is helping to put endometriosis at the heart of her organisation’s EDI plans.
"Endometriosis isn’t something I knew much about until relatively recently. I grew up in India, but I’ve been in the UK for 20 years.
In recent years, there has been improved endometriosis awareness at the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS). Once you start to learn about it, you realise how many people around you are living with it, often in silence.
In April 2025, I moved into my current role as Equality & Diversity Project Officer at SAS, and one of my first tasks was streamlining our suite of staff forums and networks. We now have five forums covering armed forces leavers, gender equality, disability, LGBT+ and ethnicity. Under the gender equality forum sits a Women’s Network, and within that, a dedicated Menopause and Endometriosis subgroup, which we’re currently calling the Meno-Endo Group.
Joining the Endometriosis Friendly Employer scheme has meant we can take things further - it’s not just about awareness; it’s about concrete change. Working in an ambulance service brings particular challenges. Our frontline staff can’t just step away from a call, so if someone is having a flare-up, we need to think carefully about how we support them, whether that’s access to facilities, getting to a different base, or carrying extra uniform.
Some women won’t feel comfortable discussing something like this with a male manager, but we will make sure that we have male Endometriosis Champions, and we’re encouraging male staff to engage with this agenda. I feel very strongly that endometriosis isn’t just a ‘women’s issue’ - it’s everyone’s business. You will have someone in your life - a wife, a mother, a daughter, a colleague - who could be affected.
What I’m proud of is that this isn’t happening in isolation. Each of our forums has a chair at middle or senior management level, a board representative, a union representative, and dedicated HR and OD [organisational development] support. Above the forums is an EDI Steering Group chaired by our Deputy Chief Executive, and we report quarterly upwards to board level. We’re even being externally audited on our EDI work - our auditors want lots of information on what we’re doing. And EDI is now embedded in every senior manager’s performance objectives. There’s a lot we’re trying to achieve, and being an Endometriosis Friendly Employer is definitely an important part of that.”
Thank you, Shy, for sharing your story and to the Scottish Ambulance Service for their commitment to creating a truly supportive working environment for employees with endometriosis.
To find out more about the Endometriosis Friendly Employer scheme and how your workplace can get involved, please visit : https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/endometriosis-friendly-employer-scheme
Endometriosis at Work – Have your say!
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Endometriosis is calling for written evidence to investigate how those with endometriosis need to be better supported at work.
This inquiry is a chance to have your say and to make sure Parliament hears the full picture, including from the employers and organisations who shape workplace culture every day.
Every response strengthens the case for change. If you are an employee with lived experience of endometriosis and feel comfortable to do so, please add your voice here.
If you are responding on behalf of a company or organisation, please share your insights and experiences via the survey here.
