The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, in Worcester, run by Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, as outstanding following its first inspection in January.
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is an independent health provider of pre-hospital emergency care and treatment by helicopter and rapid response car emergency medical services. It covers Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, the West Midlands and the surrounding areas, serving a population of around six million people. The Strensham Airbase operates 365 days year with air ambulance services provided between 8am and 8pm.
This inspection was carried out as part of CQC’s continual checks on the safety and quality of healthcare services.
Following the inspection, the Strensham Airbase was rated as outstanding overall, as well as for being safe, responsive, effective, caring and well-led.
The service’s other two sites, Tatenhill Airbase and Headquarters are also rated outstanding overall.
Charlotte Rudge, CQC deputy director of operations in the midlands, said:
“When we inspected Strensham Airbase, we were impressed to find an extremely well-led service that went above and beyond to ensure people were responded to quickly and effectively in emergency situations.
“The service always met agreed response times and feedback from people was continually positive. People and relatives told us they were treated with kindness, respect, and dignity, and that staff provided emotional support to anyone in a traumatic situation.
“It was also positive to see that Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is open to learning and continuous improvement, and the service also reported areas of excellence so staff could learn from events that had gone particularly well. This helped staff to continuously improve and boosted morale and wellbeing.
“Leaders must also be commended for developing an extensive safeguarding system so staff could learn from child deaths, people experiencing abuse, and those treated for self-harm or injuries from attempted suicide.
“All staff should be proud of the care they’re providing to people in emergencies. They clearly work hard to provide exceptional care and other providers should look at these reports to see if there’s anything they can learn.”
Inspectors found the following during this inspection:
- Staff and people who had used the service spoke highly of the senior team and said they were always available for help and support, including pastoral support after challenging shifts
- The service was proactively and extensively working with local authorities to improve engagement across the region and promote better outcomes for patients
- Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service through a programme of continual auditing and benchmarking. They made sure staff were competent by providing a programme of continual professional development
- The service engaged meaningfully with people and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services through research and exploration of new evidence-based practice
- Training and education were a substantive focus of the provider and staff had protected, rostered time for learning completion
- Staff used a clinical skills training room and an immersive environment to complete practical simulations at the provider’s headquarters
- The service equipped vehicles and aircraft with fully kitted clinical equipment and emergency bags that meant staff could achieve fast turnarounds during shift changes
- The service had 24-hour access to mental health liaison and specialist mental health support if staff were concerned about a person’s mental health.