Updated 17 December 2019
Medicar Limited (Clacton On Sea) is operated by Medicar Limited. The service opened in 2007. It is an independent ambulance service in Little Clacton, Essex. The service primarily serves the communities of Essex, but undertakes journeys across the country.
The service has had a registered manager in post since 2011. At the time of our inspection, a new manager had been appointed and was registered with the CQC in August 2013.
Updated 17 December 2019
Medicar Limited (Clacton On Sea) is operated by Medicar Limited. The service provides a patient transport service.
We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out the short announced inspection on 4 October 2019.
To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we ask the same five questions of all services: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive to people's needs, and well-led?
Throughout the inspection, we took account of what people told us and how the provider understood and complied with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
The only service provided at this location was patient transport services.
This was the first time we have rated this service. We rated it as Good overall.
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 completed care records. The service had processes in place to manage safety incidents and had processes to learn lessons from them.
Staff provided good care and treatment and ensured patients had enough to drink. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. The service was available seven days a week.
Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. Feedback was continually positive about the way staff treated people. People told us that they thought staff went the extra mile. Staff provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
The service planned care to meet the needs of people who were risk assessed as appropriate for the service, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. 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 staff and local organisations to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.
However, we also found the following issues that the service needs to improve:
We were not assured that staff followed the service’s policy on reporting safeguarding concerns.
Staff we spoke with were not aware of the service’s policy on accessing interpreting services.
We were not assured that quality monitoring of vehicle deep cleans and vehicle equipment took place.
We could not be assured that the risk register was reviewed regularly.
The service had key performance indicators (KPI) and was required to collect data, however the data was only collected for journeys provided under contract, instead of all journeys.
There was limited public engagement from the service.
Following this inspection, we told the provider that it should make improvements, even though a regulation had not been breached, to help the service improve. Details are at the end of the report.
Updated 17 December 2019
Medicar Limited (Clacton On Sea) is operated by Medicar Limited. The service provides a patient transport service. Medicar is a family run business located in Little Clacton, Essex. The service is registered to provide transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely. The service is only provided to adults.
We rated this core service as good overall because the service had enough staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to provide the right care and treatment. The service controlled infection risk well and had an updated infection prevention and control policy. Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way to meet their needs. Patient feedback about the service was positive. Leadership was clear and visible. Managers across the service promoted a positive culture that supported and valued staff, creating a sense of common purpose based on shared values.