The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS) as Good overall. It was previously rated Good.
CQC rated LAS as Good for being effective, caring, responsive and well-led. It was rated Requires Improvement for being safe, following the inspection in September 2019.
Inspectors visited the Urgent and Emergency Care (U&EC) and the Emergency operations Centres (EOC). These services were inspected because CQC's intelligence said there were possible safety concerns.
Overall there were enough front-line ambulance staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in the key skills needed for their role. Most staff understood how to protect patients from abuse and managed their safety well.
Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good records of treatment and care provided. Information was shared where required in a safe manner with other health agencies.
LAS staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions.
Services were available seven days a week. The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients' individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback.
Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Most staff understood the service's vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued.
Inspectors found evidence of some outstanding practice. The trust has played a leading role in the creation of the London Digital Board and other stakeholders to shape a clearly aligned strategy for integrated working. This was strengthened during development of the One London Local Health & Care Records programme, which was now delivering integrated patient records across all providers in the capital.
However, there were some areas where the trust must improve including:
- Ensuring medicines are correctly stored, identifiable and batch numbers and expiry dates are clearly visible.
- Ensuring appropriate actions to secure vehicles and access to stations and improve further the restocking of equipment and the checking of expiry dates.
Leaders had the right skills, and abilities to run the service. They understood and managed the priorities and issues the service faced. They endeavoured to be visible and approachable in the service for patients and staff.
Management undertook professional development and had learning opportunities. They supported staff to develop their skills and take on more senior roles. Leaders encouraged an open and honest culture, which valued the contributions of staff and fostered inclusivity and access.
Most staff felt respected, supported, and valued by the executive leadership. Staff were focused on the needs of patients receiving care.
The service had an open culture where patients, their families and staff could raise concerns without fear and had these investigated and responded to.
Professor Ted Baker, England's Chief Inspector of Hospitals, said:
"The London Ambulance Service has again been rated Good overall. It has to cope with a number of additional pressures working in the capital. Frontline staff deserve fulsome praise for the way they cope with terrorist incidents like the recent London Bridge attack.
"The trust also trained staff well, so they had the training in the key skills needed for their roles."