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A new £15m-a-year contract to deliver NHS 111 services across the North East of England has been awarded to North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), extending its role for another five years from 1 October 2025.
Commissioned by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, the contract introduces an updated service model aimed at improving access to advice and urgent care. NEAS dealt with more than one million 111 calls in 2024/25, with 82.4% of survey respondents rating the service as good or very good.
Chief Executive Kevin Scollay said the award recognised the organisation’s long-standing expertise in handling urgent and emergency calls. “This new contract builds on our years of experience running NHS 111 and ensures patients will continue to receive a high standard of service without disruption,” he said.
He also emphasised the benefits of NEAS delivering both 111 and 999 services, describing it as a “seamless link between urgent and emergency care, with quicker decisions and faster access to the right help”. Scollay added that renewed investment would support further development of digital care options such as video and text consultations.
The organisation employs more than 3,200 staff, including around 320 full-time-equivalent health advisors and 120 clinicians who support hundreds of thousands of patients every year. The updated model will continue to offer timely access to a multidisciplinary clinical assessment team and ensure increased use of alternative care pathways to help patients receive “the right care, first time”.
Dr Neil O’Brien, Chief Medical Officer at the Integrated Care Board, praised the service, calling NHS 111 “a vital service for patients, providing quick and reliable advice when people are unwell or unsure where to turn”.
Health advisor Liam Charles, who joined in 2021, said working in 111 had been “incredibly fulfilling”. He added: “Every day is different, and it’s rewarding to know we help patients access the right care and ease pressure on frontline services. I’m proud to be part of a service that’s making such a positive impact — and even prouder that we’ve secured the contract for another five years.”
The new contract will run until at least 2030.
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