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Unsung hero

Winner: Stephen Harrison

Dispatcher Stephen Harrison has our service at the very core of his values, using his energy and time to support colleagues across the organisation and patients in his community and to promote our service to the public.

Ambulance dispatcher Stephen Harrison has our service and patients at the very core of his values.

In the workplace he is a well-respected dispatch mentor and a union representative with his colleague’s best interests at heart.  He champions the work of the operations centre at any given opportunity and supported his line manager recently to work closely with new student paramedics to help them understand the work of his department.

He is a keen advocate for promoting equal rights in the workplace and a fantastic LGBT role model.

Public engagement is an important part of what NEAS does as a Trust and Stephen often volunteers for events outside of his working hours where he confidently champions the organisation and promotes equality rights in the work place.

In particular Stephen organised NEAS’ attendance at the very first Northumberland Pride and took over responsibility at Durham Pride, leading on the stall and organising last minute cover for the event.

A natural with the public, Stephen also regularly volunteers to go into schools and talk about the services that NEAS offer, making him a great ambassador for the Trust.

He even finds time to volunteer as a community first responder.  In the Lemington area, he represents NEAS as a first response to patients who are unconscious, in cardiac arrest, suffering chest pain or having severe breathing difficulty.  Most recently he reached an elderly patient suffering chest pain in the area within three minutes, where he calmy reassured her and took basic observations until an ambulance arrived.

Stephen is described in nominations as embodying all the values of the organisation when representing the Trust with knowledge, experience, enthusiasm and a ‘can do’ attitude.  Judges this year were keen to recognise such a positive person who portrays the Trust in a good light.