Response Ambulance Service

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated good. This meant patients were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Caring.

The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Patients told us they felt safe on journeys. Many patients mentioned caring as a particular strength of the staff. 

Staff told us supporting, keeping patients safe and treating them well was a passion and patient care, one of the services principles, was always discussed at staff meetings. 

Leaders were able to provide examples of amendments they had made to staff rotas to ensure patients were treated with dignity. For example, female only crews at the patient’s request. 

Leaders reviewed all bookings and would refer patients back to the NHS ambulance service if they could not meet their needs. 

We observed staff being discreet, respectful and responsive, providing patients with help, emotional support and advice at the time they needed it. We observed staff asking patients if it was OK to touch them, calling them by their preferred name, and making eye contact with them.

We observed staff being caring and compassionate towards a patient who took unwell whilst on the ambulance and meeting their care need. 

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Staff and patients had access to interpreters and/or signers. Staff who worked for the service were able to communicate in several different languages which were known to the planners. Interpreters escorted the patient throughout the whole journey, where required. 

Staff described how they would communicate with patient’s who had lost the use of their voice, using mobile phones or note pen and pad. 

Patients told us they were treated as individuals and staff mostly enabled them to have their needs met on time, where this was dependent on timely transport arrangements. 

We observed staff using the appropriate equipment to meet the needs of individual patients. Staff were observed being respectful to each patients diverse need and culture. They adapted questions and engaged patients according to their communication needs.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Information about patients' requirements, preferences and any additional support needs was recorded and shared with staff in advance of transport. These included specific instructions relating to mobility requirements, communication needs and assistance required during collection and transport.

There were aides and equipment available to support people’s independence, such as wheelchairs. Staff were aware of these tools and how to support people to use them.

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff observed patients and intervened where they saw people were uncomfortable, uncovered or distressed. People were seen to be well cared for during transfer between locations. They were able to use familiar items of equipment, such as walking sticks and were encouraged to bring any belongings they needed with them, for example, their spectacles. 

Staff could access specialist equipment to meet patient’s specific needs. For example, vehicles had ambulance trolley stretchers both onboard and in their storeroom which could accommodate bariatric patients. Paediatric stretcher harnesses were also stored onboard. These could reduce the stretcher’s strap size by half to safely transport children. 

People who used mobility aids such as walking frames or crutches were supported to do so and wheelchairs were also available if they preferred to use these. 

Staff gave patients and those close to them help, emotional support and advice when they needed it.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us the felt valued, supported and respected at work. They told us the service had supported them to develop professionally. 

New staff were given a buddy who provided support throughout their induction and assessed their competence before sign-off. Staff told us they could request an extension to the induction and buddy arrangement if they did not yet feel confident in the role, ensuring they received the support needed to develop their skills and competence safely.

Leaders held regular staff meeting once a month, either face to face or via video conferencing. Staff were able to describe the topics discussed during team meetings, including performance updates, KPI targets, new or revised call signs, learning from incidents, and complaints. Staff told us these discussions helped them learn from mistakes, share good practice, and remain informed about changes affecting the service.

Most staff told us they felt able to raise any concerns or problems with leaders and were confident these would be listened to, discussed, and addressed appropriately.

The service used an electronic platform for the staff handbook, training, rotas, policies and procedures and to report any concerns. Staff had easy access to these via PDA’s or their mobile phones. 

Leaders uploaded shift rotas 20 days in advance, allowing staff to select the shifts they were available to work which supported flexibility in workforce planning.

Staff had access to resource and facilities for safe working. Staff received breaks during their shift depending on how long the shift was, which they could take either at the office base or within the hospital they were supporting that day, helping to promote staff wellbeing and provide flexibility throughout the working day.

The provider and local leaders ensured staff with protected characteristics felt included and respected within the service. 

Leaders displayed photograph board in the office which showed staff undergoing simulation training and at celebration social events.

The service recognised staff success with personal messages of success and gatherings.

Staff and leaders contributed ideas to improve their working day and were able to provide examples of changes implemented, including re-designing the call signs to enhance communication and day-to-day operational effectiveness.