E-zec Medical - Norfolk

Updated 4 February 2022

E-Zec Medical – Norfolk is operated by E-Zec Medical Transport Services Ltd. E-Zec Medical – Norfolk is based in Gorleston, Great Yarmouth and provides patient transport services across Norfolk and Waveney and Suffolk through commissioning contracts with local clinical commissioning groups.

The service has 86 ambulance vehicles, which includes high dependency vehicle used for pre-planned transfers of patients deemed medically fit for transfers between two hospital locations.

Ambulance care assistants conducted most patient transport journeys and were trained in basic life support. The high dependency crews consist of a paramedic and ambulance care assistant, which meant that hospital staff escorts were not always required for service users that needed additional monitoring during their journeys. The service is operational seven days per week and largely provides transport for patients travelling to and from hospitals from their home address.

The service employed 164 whole time equivalent ambulance care assistants and one paramedic across the contracts in Suffolk and Norfolk. Additional paramedics were supplied by a third party at the time of our inspection. The service was contracted to provide 12,800 hours for patient transport service every month. The service completed on average 9,614 patient transport journeys every month from April 2021 to November 2021. The service was commissioned for the provision for child transfers, however, the service rarely transported children. A responsible adult always accompanied children, in accordance with the provider policy.

The service was last inspected in January 2020 where we rated the service good overall.

We carried out this unannounced inspection because we received information giving us concerns about the safety and quality of the service. The service had been without a registered manager since May 2021. We visited the registered location and the satellite base in Martlesham, Suffolk.

The only service provided by this organisation was patient transport services (PTS).

Updated 4 February 2022

Our rating of this location went down. We rated it as requires improvement because:

• Paramedics did not always complete service user records fully.
• The service did not complete routine patient record form audits for assurance of the clinical care provided.
• Outcomes for patients were not always positive.
• Managers did not always support staff to develop through timely yearly, constructive appraisals of their work.
• Service users experienced long delays for transport following their appointments.
• Local leadership was not fully embedded following significant changes in key management positions.
• Leaders did not always operate effective governance processes, throughout the service.
• Managers had not always identified risks to safety and performance, which meant mitigation of unidentified risks were not in place.

However:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them. They managed medicines well.
• Staff provided good care and treatment, Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients and had access to good information.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback.
• Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged with patients and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

Updated 4 February 2022

We rated this service as requires improvement overall because service user outcomes did not always meet the expected levels and service users experienced long waiting times for transport. Leadership of the service was not fully embedded with gaps in governance and risk identification. Responsive and Well led were rated as requires improvement with safe, caring and responsive were rated good.