I've warmly welcomed the news that more than £6.5 million will be invested in the North East Ambulance Service over the next four years.
This will support the recruitment of around 50 paramedics and a further 50 emergency care assistants, and see an increase in the number of double-crewed ambulances.
Alan Foster, lead for the integrated care system in the North East #NHSsaid: “This new money will be invested in more staff and new vehicles to meet the new response time standards across the region.
"The ambulance service can be likened to being the arteries of the health system that joins together all of the different parts of our regional health economy. This investment into the ambulance service will ensure that they will be able to meet the vision for the NHS set out in its five-year strategy."
This is a real step forward with my campaign to ensure ambulance response times in rural East Cleveland are stepped up! It's hugely positive and exciting.