This week, 5 – 11 May is Dying Matters Week, which aims to break down the stigma and taboo of talking about death and dying.
At NEAS, we have an end of life (EOL) care team who work with our operational colleagues to make sure they have the necessary skills to support palliative and end of life patients and the people around them – whether that is over the phone via 111 and 999, as an emergency care patient or when using our patient transport service.
The team also works with health and social care providers throughout the North East to ensure patients’ care plans are known to NEAS, so that any wishes and preferences at the end of their lives are known, respected, and adhered to where possible.
NEAS also has a dedicated end of life transport service which allows healthcare professionals to arrange transportation for patients to be able to be cared for and die in a place of their choosing. Between May 2024 and April 2025 NEAS carried out 3,003 journeys, taking patients to their preferred place of care/death.
End of life facilitator, Karen Hertwick said: “"For those nearing the end of their life, it is incredibly important that they are in a place where they feel comfortable and cared for, surrounded by loved ones. Speed can be critical at this time and our transport service ensures patients are picked up within a timely manner to be taken to their chosen location.”
As a service, NEASis an integral part of the deciding right process, which is a North East initiative to help people make ca
The Deciding Right website has a section with information for the public.https://northerncanceralliance.nhs.uk/deciding-right/deciding-right-information-for-patients-and-public/
If you or a loved one has important information that you would like our emergency service to know about, such as a ‘do not attempt resuscitation’ order (often known as a DNACPR), or emergency healthcare plan (EHCP) or an advance statement, please ask the healthcare professional caring for you or them to share this information with us.
End of life facilitator, Karen Hertwick explains, “It is not compulsory to discuss or plan your future care, but having your wishes and preferences documented can guide the care you receive from services like ours. This can be especially important when approaching the very end of your life – it can be very reassuring for a patient and all those caring for them.”
Healthcare professionals complete a special patient notes form, and send it to us here at NEAS, so that we are aware of any advance care planning a patient has, should a call be made to us on 111 or 999. To ensure all our staff know what to do with this information, over 700 operational colleagues have been trained in palliative and end of life care in the last year.
As part of Dying Matters Week, the EOL Care team are out and about at a number of different events including:
- Joining the Gateshead Healthcare palliative care team
- You can find them on the Mellissa Bus at Trinity Square, Gateshead from 9am – 4pm on Tuesday 6 May
- Virtually attending the national advanced care plan conference
- Attending Newcastle Hospitals’ dying matter event
- Hosting an end of life masterclass for NEAS staff at Marie Curie Hospice
- Attending the South Tees Hospitals end of life conference
You can find out more about the team here: https://