Acute Ambulance & Medical Services (A.A.M.S) is operated by A.A.M.S. The service provides a patient transport service all over the UK.

We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology, on 10 January 2018; we carried out the announced part of the inspection.

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.

Services we do not rate

We regulate independent ambulance services but we do not currently have a legal duty to rate them. We highlight good practice and issues that service providers need to improve and take regulatory action as necessary.

We found the following areas of good practice:

• There was an incident reporting process in place and staff knew how to report incidents.

• Vehicles were visibly clean and we saw cleaning schedules in place. We saw staff washing their hands and using hand-cleansing gel.

• There was sufficient personal protective equipment available on all of the vehicles we inspected on-site.

• There were systems in place to ensure that vehicles were regularly serviced and that they had an MOT.

• The service had enough staff to safely carry out the booked patient transfers.

• The service employed competent staff and ensured all staff were trained appropriately to undertake their roles.

• The registered manager provided staff with a comprehensive induction; staff completed the induction prior going out on the road.

• The fleet manager based on site carried out an inspection of each vehicle on a weekly basis, this included checks of equipment and roadworthiness.

• We reviewed the A.A.M.S training matrix, which showed us that all members of staff were compliant with their mandatory training.

• Staff were trained in safeguarding up to level three for both adults and children.

• There was an infection prevention and control, (IPC) policy in place.

• Staff completed patient transfer record sheet for each job, which were completed daily.

• Staff kept an electronic and paper log of patients who had accessed the service.

• We saw and staff told us that the company’s registered manager was visible. The staff felt supported and that managers would go out of their way to resolve any issues.

• Regular governance meetings took place. At the meetings, the management team discussed matters of importance including risk.

• Managers actively sought feedback from patients and staff and used this information to identify how the service could improve.

Following this inspection, we told the provider that it must take some actions to comply with the regulations and that it should make other improvements to help the service improve.

Details are at the end of the report.

Ellen Armistead

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals