UK Emergency Medical Transport Ambulance Service Limited

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

We looked for evidence that patients and communities had the best possible outcomes because their needs were assessed. We checked that patient’s care, support and treatment reflected these needs and any protected equality characteristics, ensuring patients were at the centre of their care. We also looked for evidence that leaders instilled a culture of improvement, where understanding current outcomes and exploring best practice was part of their everyday work.

This was the first assessment since registration. This meant patients’ outcomes were consistently good, and feedback confirmed this.

We have not awarded this service a score for Effective.

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

The service made sure patients’ care and treatment was effective by thoroughly assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

The registered manager carefully reviewed all secure transfer requests to ensure the patient’s journey was completed with compassion and dignity. If needed, additional information was requested. This included the risk assessment for the patient to ensure all relevant information was provided to assist with de escalation if needed.

Staff shared key information to keep patients safe when handing over their care to others. They knew what journeys they were to undertake and which patients they would be picking up and taking onwards to appointments or returning home. Shift changes and handovers included all necessary key information to keep patients safe.

We were told the patient’s transport experience was important and affected how the patient engaged with treatment following transfer. The use of restraint was the last resort and staff told us they saw the use of restraint as a failure on their part.

Staff took account of patients’ communication needs, particularly those with disabilities and with a sensory loss. They also took account of cultural and social needs when planning patient related transport activities. This included who would accompany patients on their transfer journeys so their journey would be as calm and peaceful as possible.

The service usually planned and delivered patient’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. Staff did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

Staff followed up-to-date policies to plan and deliver high quality care. All policies we looked at contained a creation and review date, and clear references to current national guidelines. There were systems to communicate changes in guidance through meetings and management newsletters. Staff said they received information via email and staff handover meetings.

On longer journeys, staff made sure patients had access to drinks and food, if necessary. A risk assessment was completed to ensure comfort breaks were planned and included in the transfer time.

We reviewed 4 patient transport records and found risk assessments had been completed and delegation of authority to convey was held on file.

The service worked well across teams and services to support patients. Staff shared thorough assessments of patients’ needs when they moved between different services, so patients only needed to tell their story once.

Staff worked together as a team to benefit patients. They supported each other to provide good care and deliver a quality service, ensuring for example, they started their shifts on time and planned the route of patient collection to maximise efficiency.

Staff reported healthy working relations with external organisations they came into regular contact with. For example, we received positive feedback from stakeholders which praised the service for their approach to reduce anxiety and promote engagement with the patient wherever possible.

Managers had fully considered staff welfare. For example, they advised and encouraged drivers not to work second jobs and to rest in between shifts. There was a health and safety policy which set out responsibilities at all levels.

Discharge and transport arrangements considered people’s individual needs, circumstances and ongoing care arrangements. Information was shared between teams and services to ensure continuity of care.

The service generally supported patients to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. The service supported patients to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing so they could maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff supported them to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. For example, ensuring their secure transfer was as smooth as possible to support engagement in their treatment on arrival to the secure unit.

The service monitored patients’ care and treatment to continuously improve it. Staff ensured outcomes were positive and consistent, and they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of patients themselves.

The service used the findings to make improvements and achieved good outcomes related to getting patients to their secure placement in a timely manner.

The provider considered health inequalities and took steps to ensure outcomes across people with protected characteristics were in line with the wider community.

The service was flexible supporting transfers, sometimes at short notice, from the community. The service monitored the secure transfer requests to ensure the outcome of the transfer supported the patient’s mental health journey.

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

Staff completed Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS) training modules as part of their care certificate completion. We saw an example of best interest decisions for the secure transfer of patients and who would accompany them. Decisions made for patients detained under the Mental Health Act had a multidisciplinary approach with other health care professionals and stakeholders.

Staff took all practicable steps to give people the appropriate information, support and time to make an informed decision in a way they could understand, including use of accessible communication formats. Staff followed national guidance to gain patients’ consent. Staff knew how to support patients who lacked capacity or were experiencing mental ill health to make their own decisions.

Staff understood how and when to assess whether a patient had the capacity to make decisions about their care. Staff followed the service’s policies related to consent, mental capacity, deprivation of liberty and restrictive practice, as relevant.

Staff sought permission before sharing patient information with family or friends.