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Accident & Emergency

Our Operations Centres receive over 1million 999 and 111 calls every year.

Responding to calls on the front line are a team of more than 500 paramedics, working alongside emergency care assistants and technicians.

However, not all patients require an emergency ambulance. We also employ advanced practitioners who are able to provide treatment in the community.

With over 550 vehicles covering 10 million miles per year, the Fleet Department work tirelessly to ensure we have safe, well equipped, clean and reliable vehicles for our staff and patients.

Patients are categorised according to the seriousness of their condition using the NHS Pathways system by call handlers in our Operations Centres in Newburn Riverside and Hebburn. Those whose situation is immediately life-threatening receive the fastest response.

Rapid response vehicles (RRVs) and ambulances, each with highly-skilled staff trained in the use of the latest medical equipment, also respond to urgent calls from GPs - but we also have other ways of reaching patients fast.

These options can save time and lives, often freeing RRVs and ambulances for use elsewhere.

We can respond in a number of different ways:

Alternative Options

Air Ambulances
Where speed is vital because of the severity or nature of a patient's injuries, or if the emergency cannot be reached easily by road, NEAS works with the Great North Air Ambulance Service.  Although the GNAAS is a charity in its own right, our organisations have strong links.

BASICS Doctors
A network of doctors provides support to ambulance crews at serious road accidents and other trauma incidents. The service is provided on a voluntary basis and all of the specially-trained medics are affiliated to the British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS).

Community First Responders

We have scores of Community First Responders (CFRs) across the North East. Each is trained to use life-saving equipment, including defibrillators, and other life saving techniques.

NEAS also works actively with heart charities and fund raisers across our region to establish public defibrillators at locations which are remote, or regularly attract large groups of people. We also provide training on how to operate a defibrillator.

Click here to find out more about First Responders

HART (Hazardous Area Response Team)

HART units are made up of specially trained paramedics who deal with major incidents. If a chemical site exploded or a terrorist attack took place in the North East, HART would be the section of NEAS in charge of the operation.

Emergency services establish three areas at an incident: the cold zone, the warm zone and the hot zone. Traditionally, ambulance crews operated in the cold zone - away from danger. HART teams are trained to operate in the hot zone.

Click here to find out more about HART