Archived: Radmere HQ Radmere Medical Ltd

Updated 22 March 2022

Radmere HQ Radmere Medical Ltd is an independent ambulance service that provides patient transport services (PTS) from its location in Huntingdon, to patients across the East of England region. The service has had a registered manager in post since it moved to its new location in 2019. The registered manager is the owner of the service and is a registered paramedic.

At our last inspection of the service on 18 February 2020, we told the service it must take actions necessary to comply with its legal obligations and the service should take action because it was not doing something required by a regulation but it would be disproportionate to find a breach of the regulation overall.

We carried out a short notice announced focused inspection of the service on 24 January 2022, due to concerns raised in relation to the management of patient safety and risk. As part of the focused inspection we looked at some areas of our safe and well domains and established what action the service had taken in response to our must and should actions following its last inspection.

In the twelve months before our inspection the service had significantly reduced the number of patient transport journeys it undertook due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of our inspection the registered manager was planning on closing the service on 31 March 2022, and therefore had reduced staffing levels and equipment. A building conversion was taking place to change the ambulance base into office spaces.

The registered manager had no long-term plans for developing the service and told us they planned to cease operations on 31 March 2022.

The main service provided by this service was patient transport services.

Updated 22 March 2022

The main service was patient transport services. During our inspection on the 18 February 2020 we found concerns in relation to the safety and storage of some equipment, a lack of quality auditing, governance and risk management. We rated the service as requires improvement for safe, and inadequate for well-led. We rated the service as good for effective and responsive but were unbale to rate caring as we did not have enough evidence to rate this domain.

• Staff did not receive training from an appropriately qualified trainer. Staff were not trained to the appropriate levels of adult and children’s safeguarding. The service safeguarding policy did not contain up to date guidance on staff trainng requirements. The service did not follow its infection prevention and control policy in relation to the storage and use of cleaning equipment. The service did not ensure that equipment was secured appropriately on the ambulances we inspected. Staff did not collect safety information or use it to improve the service.

• The service had no systems for auditing safety or quality over time. The service did not routinely seek feedback from patients or use feedback to improve the service.

  However, we also found:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.

• The service met agreed response times. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients.

• People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for transport.

• The service collected data and analysed it for financial purposes. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities.

Updated 22 April 2020