Western Medical Services Ltd

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 is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated good. 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.

The service had policies and procedures to support staff to perform their roles. These were based on national guidance and legislation. The service monitored performance and outcomes. Staff reviewed patients’ needs and assessed eligibility to use the service. Staff understood consent and legal authority to transport people.

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.

Prior to transporting people, the service risk assessed the entire journey to plan care. This meant people’s needs could be met and reduced the risk of cancelled journeys due to unexpected events.

Records showed staff constantly assessed people’s needs and responded to them. Staff recorded observations during transports and noted the actions they took.

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.

The service had a process to create, and maintain, up-to-date policies and procedures. Each policy was assigned a lead who was responsible for reviewing the policy to ensure it was up-to-date with current best practice and legislation.

Staff felt policies, training and leadership supported them in providing good quality care. Leaders used information to make improvements to the service.

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.

The booking process captured information to plan people’s care. Staff said the processes used were effective in gathering the information needed. They said leaders were supportive in decision making where bookings were not representative of patient’s presentations when crews attended.

Records showed staff worked with both people making a booking, and staff at the patient’s destination, to ensure accurate patient information and observations taken during a transport were handed over.

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, reduce their future needs for care and support.

The service stocked vehicles with drinks and snacks to offer people during transport if they needed food and drink. If there was a long journey the service would work with the booking provider to supply more options. Staff also arranged for breaks if needed. A person using the service told us “If I wanted them to stop, they did, this included a break for sandwiches”

During the assessment we observed clinical staff offering remote advice to a person. They provided information about smoking cessation, alcohol consumption and how to stay hydrated in hot weather.

At the service’s base, there was information available on physical and mental health well-being.

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.

In the reporting period July 2024 to June 2025 the service transported 1239 people, of which 86 were people requiring high dependency transports. Leaders had developed systems and processes for reviewing care and operational performance to improve the quality of the service. This included processes to monitor cancellations and delays. The service had no cancellations in the 12 months prior to the assessment, and where there were delays this was due to traffic.

The service monitored vehicles when on the road. Vehicles were tracked which enabled staff working at base to make real-time changes to plans if necessary.

The service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

The service had up-to-date policies and processes to support staff in gaining informed consent. Staff understood and could explain how to gain consent from adults and children.

Staff received training in the Mental Capacity Act, Mental Health Act and consent. They understood their responsibilities where a person lacked capacity to make decisions.

The booking process captured information where a carer or advocate was needed to support a person during transport. The service used this information to plan care.