North East Ambulance Service response to latest inspection report by Care Quality Commission

In response to today’s CQC report, Helen Ray, NEAS chief executive, said: “Over the last 12 months the ambulance service and the NHS as a whole has faced unprecedented pressures, the likes of which we’ve never experienced.

“Providing the best possible care to all our patients remains our top priority. We are all committed to making improvements until we and the CQC are confident that the concerns raised have been fully addressed

“In the six months since the first inspection, we have taken swift action and subsequently provided additional assurance to the CQC that the work will ensure effective systems are in place to keep patients safe. We recognise there is more to do and are committed to longer term change as well as a short-term response.

“I am pleased that throughout the report the dedication, care and commitment provided by all our staff is recognised and acknowledged by the CQC. Our teams continue to deliver the best care possible in these exceptional times.

“It is well documented that no ambulance service in the country is achieving national performance standards. Despite that,  NEAS remains one of the best performers for  response times, particularly to the highest-level life-threatening incidents.

“Critical to our success as we progress our actions is a clear investment in our workforce to deliver, both clinically and corporately. We are now beginning to see the results of the significant investment in resources made by commissioners in 2022.

“This is evidenced through reduced call response times, growth in our workforce numbers and a wider commitment to further growth in clinical staffing numbers.

“We also recognise that the key to sustainable improvement is service transformation and we welcome the opportunity to work with system partners to deliver this.”

The full report will be published on CQC’s website on Wednesday 1 February.