The North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust was commended in a national report on Friday.

The Commission for Health Improvement's routine assessment praised the Trust for improvements in patient response times.

Crews reach 75% of life-threatening calls within eight minutes, and 95% of non-urgent patients are transported to hospital within 30 minutes.

Communication problems

The clinical governance review also highlighted the commitment of staff to providing patient-centred care.

The report found staff worked in a supportive environment where staff were given plenty of feedback and training.

It also stated that the Trust's 24-hour helpline for staff to report incidents without fear of punishment, was something the rest of the NHS could learn from.

One criticism was that communication across the Trust in general could be improved.