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Involvement Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a list of frequently asked questions that might help you decide whether to get involved with North East Ambulance Service.

Why should I get involved?

There are lots of benefits of getting involved. It will give you the chance to air your views and make a real difference, it:

• Influences decisions that affect you and your community
• Helps us provide better quality patient-focused services
• Helps to make our services easier to access
• Helps us to improve our understanding of the needs of people from seldom heard groups
• Makes a difference for local people
• Develops your own skills and knowledge

How long will it take?

Different types of involvement will take different amounts of time depending on what you want to do. It can range from a five-minute telephone call to a half day session, or you could get involved once or on a more regular basis - you decide.

The level of influence you could have varies from simply filling in a survey to becoming a governor.

You can choose how and when to get involved and select the type of involvement that suits you best.

I haven't done anything like this before, how can I help?

We are interested to hear everyone's views and suggestions.

We want to hear from people from all areas of the region and all backgrounds, all ages, ethnic origins, genders, disabilities, faiths and sexual orientations.

Support is available and there will always be someone available to help.

What if I need additional support to get involved?

Help is available to support you with any specific needs including:

• Information in alternative formats
• British Sign Language interpreters
• Other language interpreters
• Help getting to meetings

Contact us if you need more information about what we can provide.

What happens after I've told you I want to get involved?

Once you have told us that you want to get involved, we will contact you to discuss what is coming up and your interests.

Your details will be added to our database and we will contact you when the next opportunity becomes available.

You decide if you want to get involved in a particular opportunity or project, when and how.

Can anyone have access to my personal details?

No. Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential. We have a strict confidentiality policy and also adhere to the Data Protection Act 1998.

We store your contact details and areas of interest on our database - password protected and accessible only to designated staff.

The additional information is stored to enable us to produce reports to monitor how well we reach a wide representation of our patients/public:

• We will never pass your personal details to a third party without your permission
• We will not share your contact details outside of our organisation
• We will never share your additional personal information 
• You have the right to have your details removed from the database at any time