Midlands Air Ambulance Charity - Headquarters and Airbase

Updated 11 January 2024

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity Headquarters and Airbase is an independent health provider of prehospital emergency care and treatment through helicopter and rapid response car led emergency medical services. The service covers Shropshire and the surrounding areas, with the wider organisation serving a population of 6 million people. The service has operated since 1991 under the umbrella of West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust. In April 2022, the service became a wholly independent healthcare provider and registered as a new service with the Care Quality Commission. As such, the service had not previously been inspected.

A registered manager has been in place since its creation in April 2022 and the service is regulated to undertake a range of regulated activities for the whole population. These are

• Transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely.
• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury.
• Surgical procedures.
• Diagnostic and screening procedures.

The Headquarters and airbase operates 365 days a year, between the hours of 0700 and 2200. One helicopter and 2 critical care cars operate from this base. Between April 2022 and August 2023, 3179 patients were assessed by the wider organisation which includes a further 2 air bases, 2 additional helicopters and another critical care car. Due to how the service collected and recorded information, this detail could not be broken down to a specific air base.

Updated 11 January 2024

This service has not been inspected before. We rated it as outstanding because:

• 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 managed 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 provided good care and treatment and gave patients pain relief when they needed it. The service met agreed response times. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, 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.

Updated 11 January 2024

The service had not been inspected before. We rated it as outstanding.

See the overall summary for details.