Archived: MED-PTS Ambulance Services

Updated 18 November 2022

The provider, Mr Rob Willis, was an individual provider. The provider’s location was based near Fakenham, Norfolk. They had been registered with CQC (Care Quality Commission) since November 2014. The provider had submitted applications to change the address of this location, which had not been processed at the time of this inspection. The new address for this location will be, Unit 13, Manor Farm, Fakenham Road, Weasenham, Norfolk, PE32 2TF.

The service provided a non-emergency ambulance service, transporting adults and children. MED-PTS Ambulance Services completed an average of 88 jobs in July and August 2022. They used 6 vehicles, although not all were in use at the time of our inspection.

The service is registered with CQC for the regulated activity transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely and treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

The service is not required to have a registered manager as the provider is an individual with day-to-day control of the service. This was the second inspection since registration. Our previous inspection was in January 2018 when we inspected but did not rate this service.

We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out a short notice announced inspection on 13 and 20 September 2022. To get to the heart of clients’ experiences of care, we ask the same five questions of all services: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs, and well-led.

Where we have a legal duty to do so, we rate services’ performance against each key question as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate. Throughout the inspection, we took account of what staff told us and how the provider understood and complied with legislation.

Updated 18 November 2022

We have not previously rated this service. We rated it as good because:

• The provider had enough staff to care for clients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect clients from abuse, and managed safety well. Staff controlled infection risk well. They assessed risks to clients, acted on them and kept good care records. The provider managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them. Staff collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
• Staff provided good care and assessed clients’ food and drink requirements. Managers monitored response times and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of clients, supported them to make decisions about their care.
• Staff treated clients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and supported them in any way they could. They provided emotional support to clients, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of clients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for care.
• The provider ran the service well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of clients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities.

However:

• The provider had not submitted notifications to the Care Quality Commission to advise us of possible abuse, although they took immediate action to rectify this.

Updated 18 November 2022

We have not previously rated this service. We rated it as good because:

• The provider had enough staff to care for clients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect clients from abuse, and managed safety well. Staff controlled infection risk well. They assessed risks to clients, acted on them and kept good care records. The provider managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them. Staff collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
• Staff provided good care and assessed clients’ food and drink requirements. Managers monitored response times and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of clients, supported them to make decisions about their care.
• Staff treated clients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and supported them in any way they could. They provided emotional support to clients, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of clients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for care.
• The provider ran the service well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of clients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities.

However:

• The provider had not submitted notifications to the Care Quality Commission to advise us of possible abuse, although they took immediate action to rectify this.