Looking back, moving forward: improving care for patients across the north east

Reflecting on the past year, one of our most important achievements has been the continued improvement in ambulance response times for patients experiencing serious emergencies. However, as Victoria Court, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, explains, this progress has not been the result of a single initiative. It has been built through years of investment, innovation and collaboration across every part of our organisation and the wider health and care system.

From strengthening our Emergency Operations Centre and expanding clinical support in our control rooms, to developing alternative pathways for patients and improving collaboration with hospitals to reduce delays, every improvement has contributed to better outcomes for patients. Investment from Integrated Care Boards has enabled us to increase frontline capacity, grow our clinical workforce and strengthen dispatch arrangements, ensuring resources are used as effectively as possible. 

Importantly, our approach has focused not only on responding to demand, but on improving every stage of the patient journey. More patients are now receiving clinical advice and treatment over the phone, more patients are being cared for in community settings, and more patients are being directed to the most appropriate service first time. 

These improvements are now being reflected in our current performance.

Between 1 April and 31 August this year, just 4% of Category 1 incidents were attended without a registered paramedic as the first vehicle on scene. This represents a reduction compared with the same period in previous years and places NEAS among the best-performing ambulance trusts in England on this measure.

For patients experiencing the most serious, life-threatening emergencies, ensuring paramedic-led resources are available when they are needed most is a critical part of delivering high-quality care. While there remains considerable variation between ambulance trusts nationally, the North East's performance reflects the success of a sustained focus on workforce planning, operational efficiency and clinical deployment.

"We've been able to increase the availability of paramedic-led resources in the north east of England by working with system partners to reduce delays in hospital handovers, increasing the number of people we treat on the phone through investment in clinicians in the call centre, and forecasting demand so that we plan for enough resources on each shift.

"Our deployment plan also helps us to use non-paramedic resources for lower acuity patients. Together, these things are making a difference to getting the right care to the right patient first time, including our paramedics being available more often for seriously ill patients."

The progress we have made over the past year demonstrates what can be achieved when ambulance services, NHS partners and local systems work together with a shared focus on patient care. From reducing handover delays and expanding clinical assessment services, to strengthening frontline leadership and supporting more patients closer to home, every improvement has helped ensure our resources are available for those who need them most.

While we are proud of the progress achieved so far, our ambition remains unchanged. We will continue to invest in our people, strengthen our partnerships and seek new ways to improve patient care, ensuring the people of the North East receive the best possible service when they need it most.

Read more about our last financial year now – our Annual General Report and Review of the Year are published here: https://www.neas.nhs.uk/about-us/how-are-we-doing