- Ambulance service
Hardcore Medical & Ambulance Service
Assessment report published 16 June 2025
Contents
Ratings - Emergency and urgent care
Our view of the service
This service is well-led
We rated this key question as good because the service used effective systems and processes to store medicines, and managed cleanliness and infection prevention well. Vehicles and equipment were well-maintained, the service demonstrated they had effective arrangements and processes in place to monitor the safety and upkeep of consumables, equipment and vehicles. The service managed patient safety incidents well. Leaders demonstrated the skills and abilities to run the service.
Leaders operated effective processes for governance, information management and the management of risk, issues and performance. Policies were relevant, appropriate and up to date and did reflect up-to-date national guidance. Leaders adhered to quality recruitment processes and ensured all staff were trained and competent for their role.
We saw evidence that the staff and leaders have a proactive learning culture, and they were able to provide evidence from internal newsletters and team meetings where they were able to demonstrate HMAS values which included patient-centric focus, open communication, ethical conduct, teamwork, continuous improvement and positive attitude throughout the organisation.
Staff and leaders told us HMAS had a proactive learning culture, underpinned by the providers own professional and reputational values.
The staff and leaders were able to demonstrate, explain and evidence HMAS values which included patient-centric focus, open communication, ethical conduct, teamwork, continuous improvement and positive attitude throughout the organisation.
Staff and leaders told us concerns are reported, and safety events are investigated, reported and lessons are learned. We found that the service leaders share investigation outcomes, lessons learnt, and improvement plans.
The service had established processes in place to learn from feedback, compliments and complaints. The service had a process in place to share feedback and communications with staff. We saw significant evidence of responsive actions and processes from both staff and leaders’ perspectives following feedback on the service. We found evidence of ongoing service wide learning and improvements to maintain good practice and meet HMAS own service values following feedback from staff, leaders, patients experience and NHS feedback.'
We rated this key question as good because leaders demonstrated the skills and abilities to run the service, and operated mostly effective processes for governance, information management and the management of risk, issues and performance.
Policies were relevant, up to date and reflected up-to-date national guidance. We identified some gaps in governance which we raised at the time of the inspection. Leaders took action to rectify this. Clinical staff (emergency care technicians) were not able to prescribe medicines independent therefore gave medicines to patients under patient group direction (PGD).
The service managed patient safety incidents well. Leaders demonstrated the skills and abilities to run the service. Leaders operated effective processes for governance, information management and the management of risk, issues and performance. Policies were relevant, appropriate and up to date and did reflect up-to-date national guidance. Leaders adhered to quality recruitment processes and ensured all staff were trained and competent for their role. Evidence reviewed showed us staff completed self-reflection and learning as part of their ongoing continuous professional development. We saw evidence that the NHS provider had provided compliments to Hardcore staff for their hard work, professionalism and dedication to patient care.
People's experience of this service
We reviewed evidence and found positive feedback on care from patients and patients representatives evidenced in emails, cards and HMAS formal feedback on care. Staff and leaders told us they have a proactive learning culture, underpinned by HMASs own professional and reputational values.
The staff and leaders were able to demonstrate, explain and evidence the HMAS values which included patient-centric focus, open communication, ethical conduct, teamwork, continuous improvement and positive attitude throughout the organisation.
Staff and leaders told us concerns were listed, and safety events are investigated, reported and lessons are learned.
The service had established processes in place to learn from feedback, compliments and complaints. The service had a process in place to share feedback and communications with staff. We saw significant evidence of responsive actions and processes from both staff and leaders’ perspectives following feedback on the service. We found evidence of ongoing service wide learning and improvements to maintain good practice and meet HMAS own service values following feedback from staff, leaders, patients experience and NHS feedback.
We saw evidence of peer-to-peer service user feedback shared to staff from HMAS management in letters of appreciation. Examples of compliments included thank you emails from professionals, service users family members which described kindness, compassion and individual care planning to meeting their needs.
Service user and family feedback seen showed HMAS staff caring for a vulnerable person were friendly, polite, professional and the had given information about everything that they were doing to help the person. The staff were described as kind and caring throughout. The service user was transported to hospital staying until the service users care was handed. Feedback described HMAS as “a really good service”.