Updated 21 August 2026
We carried out an assessment of emergency and urgent care and patient transport services on 29 April 2026 to follow up on previous inspection activity.
Criticare UK Ambulance Service is operated by Criticare UK Ambulance Service Limited. The service is registered to provide emergency and urgent care and patient transport service.
At this inspection we rated the service as good. The service had made improvements and is no longer in breach of regulations.
Updated 19 August 2026
There was minimal additional evidence relating to EUC due to low activity. Our main report findings and evidence can be found in the PTS report.
During the period April 2025 to March 2026, the provider completed 30 EUC journeys, representing approximately 1% of the provider's overall activity. The majority of activity was delivered through the Patient Transport Service (PTS), and many governance, workforce and quality assurance arrangements were shared across both service lines.
The provider delivered safe and effective EUC services through established governance arrangements, suitably trained staff and effective partnership working with NHS organisations. EUC activity primarily consisted of urgent and high-dependency transfers commissioned by local NHS trusts. Staff worked within their scope of practice and had access to the policies, procedures and support required to undertake patient transfers safely.
Where organisational systems and processes were shared across both services, the findings described in the PTS assessment also applied to EUC activity. This included governance, safeguarding, staffing, training, risk management, incident reporting and learning arrangements.
Inspection findings identified concerns relating to medicines storage and assurance arrangements. Leaders took prompt action to address these issues and provided evidence following the inspection that corrective actions had been completed.
Updated 19 August 2026
Staff now assessed and mitigated the risks in relation to infection prevention and control, and the operational base was safer and secure. There were processes to monitor the quality of the service delivered. The patient transport service provided safe, effective and person-centred care, with clear systems and processes to support the timely coordination of patient journeys. Staff worked together with system partners and community services to provide and support timely patient transport services.
The service was flexible in responding to demand and used forward planning and shared oversight to manage capacity and reduce risks. Staff treated patients with dignity and compassion, adapting care to meet individual needs, including those requiring additional support.
Overall, the service was well organised and responsive, with a strong focus on partnership working, service improvement and delivering positive outcomes for patients.