North East celebrates 80th anniversary of 999

North East Ambulance Service is celebrating the 80^th anniversary of 999 this week.

The 999 service was launched in the London area on 30 June 1937 after five women died during a fire. The contact number 999 was set up to help telephone operators identify emergency phone calls.

It now takes more than 597,000 calls a week, of which North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) takes more than 9,000.

NEAS is marking this week’s anniversary with celebrations at its headquarters-based Operations Centre in Newburn Riverside, Newcastle.

As part of the celebrations, the service has also spoken to current and past call handlers and dispatchers about what makes them proud to work on 999, which it has been sharing throughout the week on its social media accounts and website.

Yvonne Ormston, NEAS Chief Executive, said: “We are incredibly proud to be part of the 999 family, which has undoubtedly saved countless lives over the past 80 years.

“The ambulance service has changed enormously over the years from one which was primarily a transportation service to one which truly sits in the heart of the health system, constantly striving for excellence and innovation, with an increasingly multi-skilled workforce ensuring patients receive timely treatment in the most appropriate location. Our employees make a difference to thousands of lives every year.”

Martin Flaherty OBE, Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) Managing Director said: "The ambulance service has a long and proud history of serving patients, from the earliest days of pre-hospital care right through to the ambulance service of today which uses the latest cutting edge clinical techniques and technology to save many lives every year. 

"The ambulance service is proud to have been part of the 999 network for the past eight decades. Our current challenge is to try and ensure people use 999 wisely, and only when there is an urgent need for an ambulance."

Lynn Pyburn, Service Manager for Dispatch at NEAS, joined the service 27 years ago as a 999 call handler.

The 48-year-old, of Wallsend, has seen a number of changes to the 999 service throughout her career, not least the change in technology.

She says, “When I started working at NEAS back in 1990, we only took around 2-300 calls per day but now on average we respond to 1100 emergency and urgent calls. My training was sitting next to a colleague and listening for a few days before being handed the telephone to take a call myself. 

“Back then we didn’t have any of the computer systems available to us and all calls were logged on a pink card where we wrote the patients location and what was wrong with them.  We weren’t able to offer any advice to the public as were not trained at that time to do it, they just had to open the front door and watch for the ambulance arriving.

Lynn continues, “I am extremely proud of the team of staff I have working for me within dispatch, they do not get much recognition for the role they play and they are working under immense pressure and stress on a daily basis.

“The satisfaction of being able to play a part in saving someone’s life makes me proud to work on 999.”