Making sure patients can access quick care in an emergency, or if they need urgent help, is still a key focus for us. This also remains a key priority for the NHS across the country.
We are one of the best regions in England when it comes to fast access to care, but we still want to get even better.
“We saw over 78% of patients in the North East and North Cumbria within 4 hours. This compares to 74% nationally.”
Our ambulance service was the best performing in the NHS for the whole of 2025/26. It has the fastest response times in England in all categories. This means we get to 999 calls faster than any other part of the country. We also get to other less urgent calls quicker than anywhere else.
"In early 2026, NEAS met all six national ambulance response standards. This has not happened since 2018."
The improvements we have made this year show the value of strong partnership working. Our patients are now getting faster access to care when they need it most. This comes down to great teamwork. Our shared focus is on doing what is best for patients.
Improving patient flow
Good patient flow is vital to safe and effective emergency care. It means patients get the care they need when they need it. We have worked to improve what happens at the hospital front door when patients arrive. We have also worked to make sure there is good patient flow in our hospitals and to get patients back home. Key to this has been our work to reduce ambulance handover delays and get crews back on the road faster. Faster handovers mean we can respond to more patients. This improves care for everyone and helps services run more smoothly.
Better triage and more care closer to home
We are also caring for more people closer to home. With better triage, it means more patients now get the right service first time. This helps stop trips to hospital that do not need to happen and makes life easier for patients. This work has involved all Trusts and partners in care homes and GP practices. It has involved making sure we direct people to the right support for their needs.
This starts when people call 999 or 111. A new three-patch dispatch system helps send the right help more quickly. Specialist paramedics now work on a new response desk in the control centre. They use a video system to see patients in real time. They help find the most serious cases faster.
Sharing learning across urgent and emergency care
Our leaders and frontline teams have come together to share learning and spread good practice. This is creating stronger links and helping to us to work on problems we all share. Our aim is to make sure we have more consistency in our services when people need urgent help.
By working together, our FTs are acting on what works well to improve care faster. This helps in times of high demand like winter. It helps us make sure our services are more resilient and that we can support each other.
