UCS Medical

Ratings - Patient transport services

• Overall

  Inadequate

• Safe

  Inadequate

• Effective

  Inadequate

• Caring

  Requires improvement

• Responsive

  Requires improvement

• Well-led

  Inadequate

Our view of the service

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive assessment of Patient Transport Services (PTS) at UCS Medical as a result of information of concern received. We substantiated the information of concern at this assessment.

PTS services were non‑urgent and non‑specialist and involved moving patients between hospitals, their homes, and other locations. Examples included journeys from home to a care home, home to respite care, and hospital to home.

In 2025, UCS Medical completed 2,570 patient transport journeys, including for children and people receiving end of life care. The service also completed 40 secure mental health transfers.

We rated the service as inadequate and found the service was in breach of 3 regulations safe care and treatment, governance and fit and proper persons employed.

In instances where CQC has begun a process of regulatory action, we may publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded, if the action has been taken forward.

People's experience of this service

We spoke with 5 patients who had used the service. People using the service and their families generally reported positive experiences of staff communication. Patients, families and carers spoke positively about staff, consistently describing them as kind, caring and supportive. Some people commented on long waits whilst awaiting collection. Some we spoke with raised concerns that they had been left without walking aids and that wheelchair access had not been considered when they had been transported.