North East Ambulance wins national care improvement award

It won the Collaborative Excellence in Working Together to Improve Care award at the RLDatix Awards 2026 for its Learning Disability and Autism Awareness Education programme, designed to help pre-hospital clinicians deliver more person-centred care.

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.”

The programme was co-produced with people who have lived experience, as well as their families and system partners.

It uses real ambulance scenarios, patient stories and immersive learning methods.

More than 2,000 NEAS colleagues have completed the training, with 99 per cent compliance.

Early results show increased staff confidence, a better understanding of patient needs and improved delivery of safe, personalised care.

The RLDatix Awards celebrate individuals and teams across health and social care who make demonstrable improvements to care quality, patient safety and workforce effectiveness.

Entries are judged by an independent panel of health and care leaders.

Paul Sanders, president of RLDatix UK and Ireland, said: “Every day, we see incredible examples of people across health and social care making a real difference for patients, service users and colleagues.

“Through the RLDatix Awards, we are proud to provide a national platform to celebrate these achievements and share the stories and learning that can inspire progress across the wider health and care community.

“It is both an honour and a privilege to recognise and celebrate the exceptional people, teams and organisations who are helping to raise the standard of care, everywhere.”

The RLDatix Awards 2026 were held on July 9 at the Telford International Centre, with more than 500 health and social care professionals in attendance from across the UK and Ireland.

The event aimed to recognise collaboration, innovation and excellence in improving care.