The Care Quality Commission
  • Ambulance service

Immediate Care Medical Services Ltd

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

48 Eyre Street, Birmingham, B18 7AA (0121) 200 3086

Provided and run by:
Immediate Care Medical Services Limited

All Inspections

18 January 2023

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out an inspection of Immediate Care Medical Services Ltd using our focused methodology under the core service framework of Emergency and Urgent Care. We undertook an unannounced site visit on 18 January 2023. We carried out this inspection to check the quality of the service in response to a warning notice we issued in October 2022. Following our previous inspection on 19 October 2022 we served a warning notice to the service requiring them to make immediate improvements to their systems and processes for storing medicines including controlled drugs.

During this inspection we inspected the medical care core service using our focused inspection methodology. We did not cover all key lines of enquiry; however, we have re-rated this service as the issues that led to the serving of the warning notice had mainly been addressed, therefore the rating limiters no longer applied.

Our rating of this service improved. We rated it as good because:

  • The service used systems and processes to safely prescribe, administer, record and store medicines.
  • Leaders operated effective medicines management governance processes. Staff at all levels were clear about their roles and accountabilities and had regular opportunities to meet, discuss and learn from the performance of the service.
  • Leaders and teams used systems to manage medicines management performance effectively. They identified and escalated relevant risks and issues and identified actions to reduce their impact. They had plans to cope with unexpected events.

19 October 2022

During a routine inspection

We carried out an inspection of Immediate Care Medical Services Ltd using our comprehensive methodology under the core service framework of Patient Transport Services (PTS) and Emergency and Urgent Care (EUC). The service was last inspected in 2018 but was not rated.

Our inspection was announced. We gave the provider short notice of the inspection date to ensure their availability on the day. We undertook a site visit on 19 October 2022.

The service had been previously inspected but not rated. We rated it as requires improvement because:

  • The service did not manage medicines well. They did not always investigate safety incidents, learn lessons from them and share them with staff. Managers did not have clear process to apply duty of candour where undertaking subcontracted work.
  • The service did not always record or monitor response times. Learning from audits was not always shared with the team to improve. Managers did not formally appraise staff’s work performance or hold supervision meetings with them
  • The service did not make it easy for people to give feedback. The service did not have complaints information clearly available to patients.
  • Staff did not understand the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Governance structures were not always effective. Quality and safety oversight mechanisms did not always identify risk. Processes were not in place to seek staff views and experiences to improve the service. Managers did not actively seek feedback from people who used the service.

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, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records.
  • Staff provided good care and treatment and gave patients pain relief when they needed it. 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.
  • The service planned care to meet the needs of local people and took account of patients’ individual needs. People could access the service when they needed it.
  • Leaders generally had the skills and abilities to run the service. They understood and managed the priorities and issues the service faced. Managers supported staff to develop their skills. 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 well with patients and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

We did not rate caring as we had insufficient information to rate. We did not observe any patient care.

We have taken enforcement action as a result of this inspection to promote patient safety. We served a warning notice to the service requiring them to make improvements in the recording, storage and management of medicines including controlled drugs. See the EUC report findings for what we found.