Ambulance Station

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

We looked for evidence that there was an inclusive and positive culture of continuous learning and improvement that was based on meeting the needs of people who used services and wider communities. We checked that leaders proactively supported staff and collaborated with partners to deliver care that was safe, integrated, person-centred and sustainable, and to reduce inequalities.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained as good. This meant people’s needs were met through good service leadership. Leaders and the culture they created assured the delivery of high-quality care.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The service told us that their vision and strategy is was to grow the business whilst maintaining high standards and delivering a good product.

Staff and leaders spoke positively about the culture throughout the assessment process. There were policies, procedures and training around diversity and inclusion.

The service had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment, support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The service put an emphasis on developing staff and had introduced clinical supervisor roles and operational supervisor roles to assist with staff whilst the service expanded. All staff had a formal appraisal once a year and staff can could always have informal discussions.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. All staff we spoke with told us this.

The service had a clear whistleblowing process in place and staff could report issues anonymously via a QR code. Managers and supervisors all told us they had an open-door policy and staff could and did approach them whenever they had any issues or concerns.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. Staff worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Staff at the service had mandatory equality and diversity training and the service provided regular updates. Diversity of the staff group was monitored during the recruitment process. The service had a prayer room on site.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. Staff used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. Staff acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The service had a clear governance structure in place for all its leaders, highlighting the areas they were responsible for and who they were responsible for reporting to.

The service had worked to improve its governance systems. Staff had regular meetings and access to a closed group to share any updated information. The service was International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) certified and was assessed to have no major or minor non-compliance issues.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. Staff shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The service had an open and positive relationship with the services it provided ambulatory care for, alongside accident and emergency departments. They had regular engagement to share any information and learning and collaborate on improvements.

The service carried out regular visits to talk about ambulance care, these included talks with cub scouts, the fire service and the police.

The service focused on continuous learning and improvement across the organisation. Staff were encouraged to deliver ways to improve equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. Staff actively contributed to safe, effective practice.

The service had environmental initiatives with carbon reduction as a priority, with actions including installing solar power generation in all ambulance stations and incorporating solar power on ambulances.