Girl's Christmas card marks NHS staff's efforts
NEASA festive card competition for relatives of ambulance service workers serves as a reminder of their sacrifice to keep people safe, the organisation said.
The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has chosen this year's design from 26 entries from relatives across all departments.
Ellie, 13, whose cousin Zoe Reade works in the emergency operations centre, created the winning card which shows a call handler helping someone with a Christmas emergency.
"I'm happy my cousin is there for everyone who needs help at Christmas - even Santa if he gets stuck in the chimney," she said.
Kevin Scollay, NEAS's chief executive, said Christmas could often look different for family members of emergency workers who may have to work over the holidays.
"Holding this annual competition is just one way that we like to remind all our colleagues and patients of the sacrifices many of our front-line and emergency operations centre colleagues make over the festive period," he said.
The cards are sent to partner agencies and teams across the service.
Last year, 2,500 people made 999 calls to the service on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with more than 4,500 calling the 111 service.
Front-line crews attended just under 2,500 patients who needed help in that time.
Stu Holliday, head of emergency response at NEAS, urged patients to use the right service for their needs and only call 999 and use A&E in life-threatening emergencies.
"Winter is a very busy time for our crews and they are taking time away from their families to keep everyone safe," he said.
