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The North East Ambulance Charity has been awarded £142,000 from NHS Charities Together to support work aimed at improving survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests across the region.
The charity is one of 14 NHS organisations nationwide to receive funding from NHS Charities Together through its £1.94m Community Resilience Grants Fund, delivered in partnership with Omaze. The funding will be used to strengthen the North East Ambulance Service’s (NEAS) community response model, helping more people gain the confidence and skills to act in a medical emergency.
Despite already leading the country in cardiac arrest outcomes, NEAS has the smallest number of Community First Responders (CFRs) of any ambulance service in England. The North East’s diverse geography — spanning rural, coastal and urban areas — means that volunteers often play a critical role in reaching patients quickly when ambulance response times are stretched.
The new funding will enable NEAS to double its number of trained CFRs, expand its volunteering infrastructure, provide enhanced training, and equip new recruits with the tools needed to deliver lifesaving care. In 2024/25, the Service’s 138 active CFRs volunteered more than 41,000 hours and attended over 1,800 emergency calls.
Aaron Bahanda, Head of Resourcing and Business Planning at NEAS, said the investment would have a significant impact on emergency care outcomes.
“We are extremely grateful for the support of NHS Charities Together,” he said. “This investment allows us to strengthen our community response model and increase the number of trained volunteers available to support patients in those first vital minutes before an ambulance arrives.
“By expanding our community first responder network, we can improve access to lifesaving care, enhance patient outcomes and ease pressure on frontline resources.”
Currently, fewer than one in ten people who suffer a cardiac arrest outside hospital survive to return home. However, when early recognition, CPR and defibrillation are delivered quickly, survival rates can rise to over 50%.
Jon Goodwin, Head of Grants at NHS Charities Together, said the project could make a “huge difference” to people living in the North East.
“By helping people recognise the early signs of a life-threatening emergency and know how to respond, this funding can improve survival rates and reduce pressure on NHS services,” he said. “We’re delighted to support the North East Ambulance Charity as part of our Community Resilience Grants Fund.”
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