North East Ambulance Service wins national award for collaborative approach to improving care

The organisation won the Collaborative Excellence in Working Together to Improve Care accolade at the RLDatix Awards 2026.

NEAS’ Learning Disability and Autism Awareness Education programme has transformed how ambulance clinicians are supported to deliver person-centred care for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.

Co-produced with people with lived experience, families, and system partners, it was developed specifically for pre-hospital clinicians.

It combines real ambulance scenarios, patient stories and immersive learning to create a clinically relevant and engaging educational experience.

Karen Gardner, deputy director of people development at NEAS, said: “Winning this award is a fantastic achievement and reflects the commitment of the education team, colleagues and partners who have worked together to create something that is making a real difference for both our staff and the patients we care for.

“By listening to people with lived experience and embedding their voices throughout the programme, we’ve created learning that is practical, meaningful and directly relevant to the realities of ambulance care.

“We’re incredibly proud to see this work recognised on a national stage.”

Bringing together more than 500 health and social care professionals from across the UK and Ireland, the RLDatix Awards celebrate health and care professionals and teams making a measurable difference to care quality, patient safety and workforce effectiveness.

Entries are independently judged by a panel of respected leaders from across health and care, with winners recognised for demonstrating outstanding impact and excellence in improving care.