first4care

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes

Staff ensured patients were always at the centre of how care was planned and delivered. Staff understood the health and the care needs of and the patients within their local community were understood, and they were actively involved in planning care that met these needs. Patients could access the patient transport in ways that met their personal circumstances and protected equality characteristics.

Our rating of this assessment service group remained the same. At the last inspection this assessment service group was rated good. At this assessment the rating is good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

We have not awarded this service a score for Responsive.

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

Score: 3

The service made sure people were at the centre of their care choices. Staff decided, in partnership with patients, how to respond to any relevant changes in patients’ needs.

As a patient transport service, the service did not plan any care beyond the transfer of the patient. Staff responded to people’s needs during the journey to ensure they were as comfortable as they could be.

Score: 3

As a patient transport service, the service did not plan any care beyond the transfer of the patient and mostly carried out specific transfers on the request of hospital trusts. Staff supported patient choice and continuity as much as possible during this process.

Score: 3

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

The service had an accessible information standard policy. Staff would be made aware of patients communication needs on booking. Staff had access to translation services and communication aids.

If a patient was private the fee was clearly explained at the point of booking.

Score: 3

The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

Patients could share feedback with the provider. Patients were provided with details of the service when they travelled to and from appointments. Contact details for the service were on the ambulance. We also saw patients directed towards the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) where that was appropriate, for example if a patient had a complaint about a hospital instead of the patient transport service.

The service had a clear process for investigating complaints. All complaints were triaged and investigated by the most appropriate person The service ensured it was open and honest as part of the complaints process. The result of the investigation alongside any learning was shared with people, staff and any other services involved with people’s care. We saw an example of a change to the service following a complaint; a piece of equipment was no longer being used as a result.

Score: 3

The service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

The service mostly carried out transfers upon the request of hospitals during allocated shifts. Service staff met the needs of both patients and the hospitals they transported them to. Office staff were available to be contacted for teams on the road. Vehicles were accessible to people with disabilities. Staff would only transport patients if it was safe to do so.

The service offered private bookings where they worked in partnership with people and families. They had prerequisites to accepting these bookings, care homes or hospitals were contacted to ensure that people did not come to harm as a result.

Score: 3

Staff and leaders tailored their care, support and treatment in response to people's needs. Staff and leaders emphasised that they always did their best to take everyone who was scheduled and that transports were successfully completed, if it was safe to do so.

Staff at the service had mandatory equality and diversity training and the service had an equality and diversity policy in place. There were no concerns raised that people were treated differently or experience inequity in experience or outcomes.