Ambulance service wins national control room award for second year running

Jessica Philpott, a call handler in EEAST’s Norwich emergency operations centre, was awarded the UK Dispatcher of the Year award at the 2025 International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) UK Navigator Conference, held in Glasgow last month.

It is the second year running that EEAST has won the prestigious award.

This week (27 October – 2 November) is International Control Room Week, where control rooms around the world celebrate their successes and raise awareness of their vital work.

Nominees for IAED’s Dispatcher of the Year are selected based on their exceptional performance, unwavering dedication to their patients, and their embodiment of the academy’s mission and values. Call handlers are recognised as ‘emergency medical dispatchers’ by the IAED because of their use of the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) which establishes a universal standard in triaging and responding to 999 calls.

This year six members of control room staff from EEAST were put forward, with three selected as national finalists – Laura Macdonald, Kerry Summers and Jessica Philpott.

Jessica was nominated for a particularly difficult call where a breach birth was occurring and the infant was not breathing. Jessica gave instructions for CPR until the ambulance crew arrived, resulting in a positive outcome for mother and baby. Her nomination said: “Jess is an exceptional emergency call handler whose professionalism and dedication sets her apart. She strives for excellence in her own call handling, as well as helping others to achieve the highest possible standard in call handling. Her customer service is always excellent and she takes an extremely calm, empathetic and reassuring approach on all her calls. Jess is the type of person to always go above and beyond.”

After the awards, Jessica, who has worked at EEAST for four years said that she enjoyed working in a job where every day was different: “No two calls are the same, and it may be a cliche, but it’s nice to work in a job that helps people,” she said.

Chris Scott, Senior Quality Assurance and Training Manager for EEAST’s Emergency Operations Centres said: “While every one of our call handlers and dispatchers at EEAST does incredible work every day, some calls and some individuals stand out. This is an extraordinary achievement for Jessica and a moment of celebration for all of us at EEAST.

“To have an EEAST call handler win this national award for two consecutive years is truly remarkable, especially considering the sheer volume of 999 calls handled across the UK each year.
“Congratulations to Jessica, and to everyone who was nominated for this award.”

Do you want a career that makes a difference? Want to find out about more about joining #TeamEEAST in one of our 999 call centres? Our virtual recruitment event on Thursday 30 October is focusing on just that! You can speak to our recruitment specialists, hear first-hand from people who work in our call centres and ask any questions you might have about the different roles. Register at: EOC virtual recruitment event: Expression of interest | EEAST

Notes: In 2024, Annette Clark, who is also based in Norwich Emergency Operations Centre, was awarded the EMD of the Year at that year’s International Academy of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) Awards. EEAST’s Edward Collop and Matthew Holgate were also finalists for the award that year. In addition to her award, Annette also received a Diamond Call Handling Compliance Award which recognises her excellence in handling 999 calls.