Service inspections: independent ambulance services

We inspect the following services for independent ambulance providers:

Emergency and urgent care services

These include when ambulance crews assess, treat and care for patients at the scene. The patient can either be transported to hospital ('see and convey') or discharged from the care of the service ('see and treat).

This includes transport by air when the provider runs the air ambulance itself, or where it supplies staff to another entity, such as an air ambulance charity.

This covers the provider's planning and response to major incidents and emergencies as a Category 1 provider under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (Part 1). It takes into account special operations such as serious and protracted incidents.

It also includes being prepared for, and supporting, events and mass gatherings.

If the ambulance provider manages emergency response from other parties, these are also included. Examples include:

• community first responder schemes involving the public
• co-responder schemes with agencies such as fire and rescue or the armed forces.

High dependency and intensive care transport between hospitals or other care settings is also included, as well as other specialist transport that requires an emergency ambulance. This might be:

• from hospital for end of life care at home
• for patients with mental health conditions who need specialist care.

Patient transport services

These are non-urgent and non-specialist services. They transport patients between hospitals, home and other places such as care homes.

The service includes the patient transport control room and dispatch operation and any assessment of a patient's eligibility for the service.

This service also includes any volunteer driver scheme where it is managed by the ambulance provider.

Independent ambulance services may also carry out activities that are outside the scope of CQC registration and exemptions may apply. We will not inspect these activities.