New leadership team in charge of clinical development
Meet the new team charged with setting the future clinical direction at North East Ambulance Service.
Together, they will develop clinical and professional leadership of our clinical workforce, developing our capabilities, standards and opportunities for development across our system, ensuring that we’re in a position to provide the best patient care possible to the patients we serve.
NEAS was only the fifth ambulance service in the UK to appoint a director of paramedicine to the Board, providing visible and proactive leadership for our clinical workforce.
Andrew took up the post in May 2023, returning to NEAS after having originally started his ambulance career within its patient transport service in 1995.
On re-joining NEAS, he immediately set to work in building up a new clinical leadership team to help him set the future direction for the clinical and professional practice and transform services alongside system partners to meet patient needs.
His first appointment was Daniel Holland, who joined NEAS as the new deputy director of paramedicine, having spent the last nine years at Yorkshire Ambulance Service. His 16-year career as a paramedic has taken him around the country and has involved leading on clinical development and introducing new systems and processes to improve patient care.
Working with Andrew and Daniel are three consultant paramedics, between them covering emergency, critical and urgent care, and our new head of clinical development and effectiveness.
Dan Haworth will be responsible for the clinical leadership of the emergency care workforce
Lee Thompson will be responsible for the clinical leadership for the service’s specialist paramedics critical care team, and thinking about the higher acuity practice development for paramedics
Danielle Clark joined NEAS at the start of July and will be responsible for the clinical leadership of the service’s team of advanced practitioners and first contact practitioners who work within NEAS and alongside primary care partners to deliver care within the community. She will also be responsible for urgent care clinical practice across the workforce.
The final appointment to the team is Clare Casson. A physiotherapist by background, Clare is our new head of clinical development and effectiveness, with responsibility for clinical audit, pathways development and strategically working with the consultants to help shape practice development through data and clinical information.
Andrew said: “One of my first priorities in taking on this role was to create a leadership team that’s visible and able to support and develop clinical practice within our service through professional leadership and the four pillars of advancing practice which supports practice for all.
“Our clinical workforce brings together a wealth of experience from the worlds of paramedicine and nursing, which have a huge part to play in delivering patient care in the North East.
“We already have examples in parts of the region where we’re able to work closely with our partners to deliver patient care together. With a brand new team in place focused on developing clinical and professional practice to improve patient care, I’m really looking forward to working together with our system partners to make a real difference for the patients we serve.”