Met Medical

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

This means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.
This is the first assessment of this service at this location.
This key question has been rated as good, this means that people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.
We were unable to observe any patient transport journeys during our assessment as this work came into the service on an ad hoc basis. However, we were able to speak to staff. Staff told us that when they were transporting people, they considered the whole care experience while the person was with them, they made people as comfortable as possible, keeping them and their families informed on all aspects of the journey. Staff told us they considered all physical and communication needs. Information around the patient and their requirements was gathered at the planning stage of the journey, this information was passed onto staff before the journey is undertaken.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.
All staff were trained within their own competencies to undertake their role. They were aware of their scope of practice within their clinical skill group, There was a policy that also outlined this using a traffic light-coded system that staff could access. The staff we spoke to were experienced and had the right skills and knowledge to care for the patients that they were presented with. Staff said that if they were presented with a patient requiring treatment outside of their clinical competency, they would request additional assistance to the scene or seek clinical advice via the contracting NHS ambulance trust or a Met Medical manager.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.
Staff had access to policies, guidelines and other assessment tools to enable them to appropriately plan, assess and deliver safe care and treatment to support people. Staff told us they got on well and always work as a crew and never alone. Patients were listened to; information and treatment plans were written down and documented and appropriate information shared when the person was transferred to another service. This ensured a smooth transition and continuity of care as the patient was moved across different services, places of care or home environments.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. The service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduced their needs for care and support.
Staff explained that they were able to give people help and support to have choice and control around their own lives and to remain independent within their own homes engaging in conversations around health and wellbeing.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.
Staff told us that on patient transport journeys they would talk to and observe patients, considering anything that may indicate a change in a patient’s condition. This allowed them, together with the patients and families, to make informed and considered choices and monitor outcomes. Feedback received following patient transport journeys was positive and monitored to identify opportunities for service improvement. We spoke to the Integrated Care Board (I.C.B) who commissions ad-hoc patient transport services from Met Medical, and they stated that they did not have any issues around transport times or any missed scheduled appointments.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centered care and treatment.
Staff understand the importance of obtaining consent and the consent process before delivering care and treatment, ensuring that patients fully understood what they were consenting to. The service has 100% staff training compliance with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Mental Health Act (MHA).