Non-emergency private ambulance service is rated as inadequate

A PRIVATE ambulance service offering non-emergency patient transport in parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire has been rated “inadequate” by inspectors.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said Thames Ambulance Service had “visibly unclean” vehicles, did not have the right equipment to transport children and had not trained all its staff properly.

When the CQC visited the company’s ambulance station in Spalding, Lincolnshire, staff did not have access to running water, the inspection report said.

At the Grimsby station, there were “ongoing issues with cleanliness and bird control”, although pest control equipment has since been installed. Some staff told inspectors they had not been given manual handling training and felt unsafe when they had to transfer morbidly obese patients.

The report said: “Ambulance staff we spoke with during our inspection told us they had no access to equipment for transporting children, despite the provider offering this service and we found limited equipment for this purpose during our inspection.”

The patient transport service was rated inadequate for being safe, effective, responsive and well-led. But the CQC gave it a “good” rating for being caring.

The report said: “Staff we spoke with across the providers teams, demonstrated caring attitudes towards patients and a will to provide them with the right level of care and support.” Amanda Stanford, CQC Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals, said: “Our inspectors found a number of significant concerns when they visited four of Thames Ambulance Service Limited’s stations.”

The service covers Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Essex and Yorkshire.