Three weeks left to nominate ambulance heroes

There are just three weeks left for the public to nominate ambulance heroes who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.

Every year, North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) holds an awards ceremony to recognise outstanding contributions of its employees and volunteers.

Now in its fifth year, the Beyond the Call of Duty Awards, which is this year sponsored by Newcastle law firm Ward Hadaway, allow the opportunity to publicly recognise and celebrate the achievements of its more than 2,500 staff, with 12 categories including Team of the Year, Student of the Year, Outstanding Senior Manager and the Public Nomination vote.

Deadline for entries is 31st July with the awards ceremony taking place in November at a glittering black tie dinner at Newcastle Race Course.

Some of last year’s local heroes include:

  • Bernie Wells from Morpeth, winner of the Emergency Care Award after making a significant contribution towards improving end of life care
  • Tracy Sinton from South Shields, winner of the Services to the Community Award for raising thousands of pounds for the Future Fund towards cancer research
  • Craig Foster from Gateshead, winner of the Contact Centre Award for his caring and compassionate nature when dealing with calls – including two successful CPR calls on infants from 111 callers
  • Phil Baxter from Barnard Castle, winner of the Mentor of the Year Award for his fantastic contribution to the development of staff

Chief Executive of NEAS, Yvonne Ormston, said: “Working for an emergency service regularly means putting others first at the expense of personal and family lives both on the front line and in a supporting role. This is our chance to reward just a handful of those who provide amazing care, skill and dedication to patients every day.

 “The public vote is a very special category as it comes directly from our patients and those we serve every day. We want to make sure we leave no stone unturned in seeking out ambulance staff who have made a difference. That’s why we want the public to contact us with their stories of anyone that they believe has gone that extra mile.”

To nominate someone for an NEAS award please visit https://www.neas.nhs.uk/staff-awards/staff-awards.aspx click on the link and tell the story of why you think that person should win an award in the online form provided.

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Media contact: Sam Reed at NEAS on Tel: 0191 4302007, sam.reed@neas.nhs.uk

More about last year's winners is available at https://www.neas.nhs.uk/staff-awards/2015-winners.aspx