This year, the service selected two winners to be used as the Trust’s annual Christmas cards. The winners include Phoebe Coltman (3) and Charley McIntyre (18).
Ambulance service chief executive, Helen Ray, said: “Christmas can often look quite different for the children of emergency service workers, with loved ones not being around to celebrate over the festive season, including Christmas Day. Holding this annual competition is just one way that we like to remind all our colleagues and patients of the sacrifices many of our frontline and emergency operations centre colleagues make over the festive period."
Last Christmas Day, the North East Ambulance Service answered over 1,000 999 calls, over 2,000 111 calls, and treated 106 patients over the phone. The services emergency crews transported 658 patients to hospital, and its patient transport service completed 85 journeys to the region's hospitals.
Helen continued: “Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and to all of our colleague’s children who submitted their fantastic artwork; the competition was certainly tough this year and I had a wonderful time picking our winners!"
Adam Coltman, integrated care assistant for the Trust’s patient transport service and proud dad to Phoebe, will be working Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day this year. He said: “I was really happy that Phoebe was a winner for the Christmas card competition, she was really excited to make the Christmas card, especially since the run up to this Christmas has been exciting for our family knowing that I’ve managed to get Christmas Day off this year.
"I work on a rota which runs 24/7 365 days of the year so after working nightshift last Christmas, it’s nice to have this Christmas Day at home with my family! I know how short staffed we are at the minute and that a lot of my colleagues will be working so that others can spend time with their families.”
Mrs Ray concluded: “Thank you to the 640 colleagues across our service who will be working on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve this year, and to all those who will be working over Christmas and New Years, spending time away from your families, to keep the North East safe and healthy.”
Head of emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR) at the North East Ambulance Service, Stu Holliday, said: “This Christmas period, we’re asking patients to consider how you use our service. Winter is a very busy time for our crews and emergency operations centre colleagues, and they are taking time away from their families to keep everyone safe. We ask that during the festive period, you only call 999 and use A&E in a life-threatening emergency. If it’s not an emergency, please consider contacting your GP, local pharmacy, or use 111 online.”
Try 111 online: https://111.nhs.uk