Archived: Sites Ambulance Station

We saw that the provider had ensured improvements had been made to their Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) policies and procedures.

On this occasion we did not speak to people who used the service.

We took a specialist advisor with us. Their focus was the infection control procedures for the ambulance service. The specialist visited the depot where equipment is stored and the ambulances are kept. The provider did not have adequate systems in place to manage cleanliness and infection control. Some of the issues identified would be addressed when the provider moved the ambulance depot to new premises.

We found that maintenance checks had been made on the vehicles and records kept. All vehicle services and MOT’s were up to date.

The provider had ensured that an effective recruitment process was in place and that staff had the qualifications and experience to do the job.

Complaints were taken seriously and records kept of concerns raised with the provider.

On the day of inspection we were unable to speak with people who used the service. The provider told us that most of the work undertaken was contracted from two large ambulance trusts. This meant that comments from people would be held by the large ambulance trusts that Sites were contracted with.

We saw that the service had received some compliments from people. One staff member told us of a recent event which resulted in a thank you letter for their professionalism.

From speaking with staff and reviewing documentation used by ambulance staff we saw that there were arrangements in place for obtaining consent from people.

The provider explained to us the procedures in place to work cooperatively with other providers. Roles and responsibilities were clearly defined.

The provider had systems in place for managing cleanliness and infection control. Responsibilities for cleaning were clearly identified and training had been provided to staff.

The staff we spoke with told us they felt supported to do their job. Staff told us that they enjoyed working for Sites Ambulance and they provided them with the training they required.

The Ambulance Service had a complaints policy and staff knew what to do if a patient complained.