EMED Sussex

This means we looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated as good. This meant people feel well-supported, cared for, or treated with dignity and respect.

People were generally treated with kindness, dignity and compassion by frontline staff. Patients consistently praised crews for being polite, caring and respectful, and we observed warm, sensitive interactions during the assessment. Staff responded well to people’s immediate needs, acted when individuals became unwell or distressed, and used communication aids to support people with communication difficulties.

Leaders monitored patient feedback, and survey results indicated high levels of satisfaction with staff behaviour. However, opportunities to gather more detailed and meaningful patient feedback were limited.

Staff spoke very positively about the support they received during the TUPE process, which provided reassurance about leadership visibility and day‑to‑day support. Although formal staff surveys had not yet been undertaken, leaders recognised this gap and were planning to introduce staff surveys alongside a staff forum to strengthen ongoing engagement and feedback. However, operational practices, such as routinely extending return journey times, prioritised efficiency over personalised care and negatively affected people’s dignity, wellbeing and independence.