Residents in Durham and across the North East are being invited to help shape the future of ambulance care at a public event in Belmont this autumn. North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) will use its Annual General Meeting to launch a new strategy covering the next decade.
The meeting will take place at The Durham Centre in Belmont, County Durham, from 2pm to 4pm on Thursday 8 October 2026. NEAS says the event will be an opportunity to hear its future plans and understand how the service intends to build on its existing strengths while preparing for a changing healthcare landscape.
Places can be booked now, but registration closes on Wednesday 30 September 2026. The booking information supplied by NEAS directs prospective attendees to its online registration form, titled “North East Ambulance Service AGM and setting our future direction”.
What the new strategy will cover
NEAS says the North East will face changing healthcare needs, new technology, evolving workforce expectations and shifts in public services over the next decade. Its strategy considers which parts of the service must remain unchanged, as well as what needs to develop.
The organisation says the plans were developed after extensive engagement with colleagues, patients, communities and partner organisations. A central aim is to identify how emerging challenges could create opportunities to redesign care around the priorities of patients and local communities.
Alongside the strategy launch, people attending the AGM will be able to view interactive displays and meet some of the staff who provide care across the region.
The scale of the regional service
NEAS provides NHS 111 and 999 services across the North East, serving 2.7 million people. The trust employs more than 3,600 colleagues and says its teams answered more than 1.475 million calls and responded to more than 40,444 life-threatening incidents during the last year.
Those figures set the strategy launch in the context of a large service used by communities throughout the region, including County Durham. The organisation says it is starting the next decade from a position of strength while planning for further change.
Kevin Scollay, NEAS chief executive, said the AGM would mark “an exciting new chapter” and give the public a chance to hear about the service’s ambition for the decade ahead. He said the strategy would examine what must never change and what needs to change as healthcare, technology and expectations evolve.
NEAS Chair Stuart Corbridge said the AGM would also allow the organisation to reflect on the previous year and set out its long-term direction, with the aim of remaining a modern, responsive and compassionate service.
For residents wanting to attend, the key deadline is Wednesday 30 September, ahead of the Belmont meeting on Thursday 8 October.