North East Ambulance Service

Map of North East Ambulance Service's coverage

The North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) is the authority responsible for providing NHS ambulance services in North East England, covering the counties of County Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear and the boroughs of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees. The trust was formed on 1 July 2006, following the merger of the existing North East Ambulance Service and the Tees division of the Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Trust (TENYAS). Northumbria Ambulance Service and County Durham Ambulance Service had previously merged on 1 April 1999.[2]

It is one of 10 Ambulance Trusts providing England with Emergency medical services, and is part of the National Health Service, receiving direct government funding for its role. There is no charge to patients for use of the service, and under the Patient's Charter, every person in the United Kingdom, has the right to the attendance of an ambulance in an emergency. The North East Ambulance Service also provides Patient Transport Services (PTS) or non-emergency services to patients in the area.

The North East Ambulance Service currently operates 107 emergency ambulances, 50 rapid response cars, 28 urgent care vehicles, 2 bariatric ambulances, 242 patient transport vehicles, 5 community paramedic cars, and 120 support service vehicles.

NEAS is one of four trusts in the country to receive a "good" rating in the 2006/7 Healthcare Commission Healthcheck^[1] report. This is the highest rating achieved by any ambulance service for provision of care.

On 23 August 2010, the North East Ambulance Service announced it was trialling a new service known as NHS 111. The trials would mean that anyone living in the County Durham and Darlington area could dial 111 to access out of hours urgent care. The idea is for this service to be rolled out nationally and to replace NHS Direct.

Between April and October 2013 the service recorded 10,072 "incidents" in which handovers to hospital accident and emergency departments have taken longer than 30 minutes and 499 which took longer than one hour triggering fines of £250,000. ^[2]

Services provided

• 999 emergency service
• NHS 111 service
• Patient Transport Service
• Durham Urgent Care Transport (DUCT)

Job Roles

Accident and Emergency Tier

Team Leader Paramedic

Paramedic

Advanced Technician

Emergency Medical Technician (ECT)

Emergency Care Assistant/Emergency Care Support Worker (ECSW)

Trainee Emergency Care Technician

Student Paramedic

Patient Transport Service Tier

Team Leader

Ambulance Care Assistant (ACA)

Apprentice (PTS)

Control Room

Duty Manager

Team Leader (Call Takers)

Dispatch Officer

Communications Officer

Communications Support Officer

Call Operator

Clinical Supervisor

Clinical Nurse Advisor

Clinical Paramedic Advisor

Locations & Dispatch Desk Areas

Headquarters

The main trust HQ is currently based in Newburn Riverside, Newcastle upon Tyne. The HQ is known as Bernicia House.

Control Centres

There are three control rooms currently operating for NEAS. Bernicia House (Newburn Riverside Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne); Russell House (Monkton Business Park, Hebburn) and Scotswood House (Newcastle Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne). 999 emergency calls and NHS 111 urgent care calls are answered by call takers at all three sites. The Patient Transport Service calls are answered by the call takers primarily at Scotswood House, but also Bernicia House.

Fleet Workshops

The main fleet workshops is based at Pallion in Sunderland. However a secondary workshop is located in Stockton-On-Tees.

Training Centres

The two main training centres for NEAS are based at Lanchester Road Hospital in Durham and Scotswood House in Newcastle Business Park.

Ambulance Divisions/Desks

North East Ambulance Service are split into 3 divisions or dispatch desk areas at known in the control room. There is North which covers Northumberland (Berwick, Alnwick, Ashington, Hexham), Newcastle and North Tyneside. There is Central which covers South Shields, Gateshead, Sunderland, Houghton-le-spring, Washington and North Durham including Chester-Le-Street, Stanley, Consett, Durham. And finally Tees which covers Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool, Carlin How, Redcar, Coulby Newham and South Durham including Seaham, Peterlee, Darlington, Crook, Weardale, Barnard Castle, Spennymoor, Bishop Auckland, Newton Aycliffe.

Ambulance Stations

Below are all of the NEAS ambulance stations including the dispatch desk they would come under in the control room.

• Alnwick – North
• Amble – North
• Ashington – North
• Backworth – North
• Barnard Castle – South
• Belford – North
• Bellingham¹ – North
• Billingham – Tees
• Berwick-upon-Tweed – North
• Bishop Auckland – South
• Blyth² – North
• Blucher – North
• Carlin How – South
• Central (Netherby Drive, Newcastle upon Tyne) – North
• Chester-le-Street – Central
• Consett – Central
• Coulby Newham – South
• Cramlington² – North
• Crook – South
• Darlington² – South
• Debdon Gardens – North
• Fulwell – Central
• Fishburn – South
• Gateshead – Central
• Gilesgate – Central
• Haltwhistle¹ – North
• Hartlepool North – South
• Hartlepool South – South
• Hawkeys Lane – North
• Hebburn² – Central
• Hexham – North
• Middlesbrough – South
• Middleton-in-Teesdale – South
• Monkton- Central
• Morpeth – North
• Newton Aycliffe – South
• Pallion – Central
• Peterlee – South
• Prudhoe² – North
• Rainton Bridge² – Central
• Redcar – South
• Rothbury¹ – North
• Ryhope – Central
• Sandyford³ – North
• Seaham – South
• South Shields – Central
• Stanley – Central
• Stockton-On-Tees – South
• Swalwell² – Central
• University Hospital of North Durham Rapid Response Station – Central
• Wallsend – North
• Washington – Central
• Weardale (St John's Chapel) – South
• Wideopen – North
• Wooler – North

Main Hospitals Within NEAS Area

Darlington Memorial Hospital

Located in Darlington (A&E Department)

Freeman Hospital

Located in Transplant and Cancer Care)

Hexham General Hospital

Located in Hexham,Northumberland (A&E Department)

James Cook University Hospital

Located in Middlesbrough (A&E Department and Major Trauma Centre)

Newcastle General Hospital

Located in Newcastle upon Tyne (No A&E Department)

North Tyneside General Hospital

Located in North Tyneside (A&E Department)

Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Located in Gateshead (A&E Department)

Royal Victoria Infirmary

Located in the city centre of Newcastle upon Tyne (A&E Department and Major Trauma Centre)

South Tyneside District General Hospital

Located in South Shields,South Tyneside (A&E Department)

Sunderland Royal Hospital

Located in the City of Sunderland (A&E Department)

University Hospital of Hartlepool

Located in Hartlepool (NO A&E Department)

University Hospital of North Durham

Located in Durham,County Durham (A&E Department)

University Hospital of North Tees

Located in Stockton-on-tees (A&E Department)

Wansbeck General Hospital

Located in Ashington,Northumberland (A&E Department)

See also

• Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom
• List of NHS trusts

References

External links

• North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust
• North East Ambulance Service First Aid Training
• Hazardous Area Response Team