Abstract
This paper examines how the onset of digital transformation has impacted on the performance of the revamped emergency services dispatch system in the UK, not just from a targets achievement perspective, but also considering staff wellbeing and welfare. Specifically, an NHS ambulance service was used as the exemplar of managing in extreme contexts; this is because of the stress levels inflicted on staff performing the work and the severity of the task at hand. Based on over fifty first-hand interviews, rich insights on the difficulties of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic that were previously overlooked have been identified. The research used Westerman’s framework of digital transformation to guide the empirical investigation. We find for non-commercial contexts, the incorporation of such components like ‘employee’ and ‘customers’ must be redefined to reflect the ‘extreme context’ nature of work. We conclude that emotions normally associated with extreme context working must be reimaged and re-introduced to assist future digital transformations, and only with this in mind can the real performance of the work at hand be improved.