Medical Support UK Ltd

Updated 26 August 2022

Medical Support UK Ltd is an independent ambulance service. The service undertook non-emergency patient transport journeys. The service worked with an NHS ambulance transport broker to provide both planned and ad hoc patient transfers for the NHS and local authority. The service transported patients with mental health conditions, learning disabilities and those living with dementia. The service provided services to patients aged 16 and above. The service had carried out 197 mental health transfers between July 2021 and July 2022.

The service employed six members of staff in its mental health transport team, this team included the service’s registered manager. The service had two vehicles for patient transport which had bespoke interiors for secure transfers.

We inspected patient transport services and specific key lines of enquiry for safe, effective, responsive and well-led. We did not inspect caring as part of this inspection. We did not rate the caring key question for the service as part of this inspection.

This was the first time the services had been inspected.

Updated 26 August 2022

This was the first time we inspected the service. We rated it as good because:

• 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, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them. Staff collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
• Staff provided good care and treatment. The service met agreed response times. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients and supported them to make decisions about their care. Staff had access to good information.
• The service made sure staff were competent for their roles. Managers appraised staff’s work performance and held supervision meetings with them to provide support and development.

However:

• The service did not have face to face, or equivalent, team meetings, where all staff members were present, however there were informal daily catch ups.
• The service did not have effective systems in place for compliance monitoring and audit of handwashing.
• The service did not always store oxygen cylinders correctly in its transport vehicles.

Updated 26 August 2022