Paw power: The doting dogs aiming to boost morale among East of England Ambulance Service staff

• ITV News Anglia's Andy Ward went to see the scheme in action

Staff at one of the country's busiest ambulance services say that the introduction of wellbeing dogs is helping to boost morale among its workforce.

The pioneering GoodDOGS scheme, believed to be one of the only NHS initiatives of its kind in the UK, was launched a year ago and sees dogs go into ambulance stations across East Anglia to provide some canine companionship to workers.

More than 50 dogs have already signed up to the project, with another 90 currently waiting for assessment.

The dogs are pets of staff members who work for the East of England Ambulance Service, and once qualified, can be booked by colleagues.

The animals have already been helping staff who have experienced trauma in their job, as well as offering much-needed stress relief to new trainees.

"When you're in there for 12 hours, and it's constant, coming out here, you can feel your blood pressure going down," dispatcher Rachel Cushing told ITV News Anglia.

"Just literally stroking a dog - you can actually feel yourself calming down."

The dogs are vetted by three assessors, including project lead Kirstie Wells.

If successful, they are then given a GoodDOGS jacket and can start work immediately.

"We want them to be confident, able to interact with strangers quite happily," she said.

"We don't want dogs that are jumping up and are going to be up on tables and in people's faces if they don't want it.

"We just want dogs that are generally well-behaved and happy."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know