Prehospital Advanced Care Team

Updated 26 September 2019

Prehospital Advanced Care Team is operated by Prehospital Advanced Care Team Ltd. The service opened in 2018. It is an independent ambulance service in Willenhall, West Midlands. The service provided event support (not regulated) and patient transport services to hospitals nationwide.

The service has had a registered manager in post since September 2018. At the time of the inspection, the manager had just resigned. One of the directors was in the process of registering to become the new manager. This was the first inspection since registration.

Updated 26 September 2019

Prehospital Advanced Care Team is operated by Prehospital Advanced Care Team Ltd. The service provides a patient transport service from events.

We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out the announced part of the inspection on 4 July 2019.

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.

Our rating of this service was Good overall.

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them. Staff collected safety information and used it to improve the service.

• Staff provided good care and treatment, gave patients enough to drink, and gave them pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information.

• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.

• 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. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.

• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

  Following this inspection, we told the provider that it should make improvements, even though a regulation had not been breached, to help the service improve. Details are at the end of the report.

  Heidi Smoult

  Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals, on behalf of the Chief Inspector of Hospitals

Updated 26 September 2019

The service provided patient transport services from events to hospital. We rated it as good because the service was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.