Adastral Park (Martlesham)

Updated 9 February 2023

Adastral Park (Martlesham) is operated by British Telecommunications Public Limited Company. The service opened in 1977. It is an independent ambulance service in Ipswich, Suffolk. The service provides first aid support to those working in and visiting Adastral Park Business Park. Adastral Park is a business site located near Ipswich, Suffolk. It covers 350 acres with over 80 buildings housing around 5000 permanent and contracted staff and hosts approximately 50,000 visitors per year. All staff working for Adastral Park (Martlesham) were employed at Adastral Park Business Park and provided their skills to the ambulance service on a voluntary basis. All staff were trained in first person on the scene (FPOS) first aid and were qualified community first responders. The service had one vehicle.

The service has had a registered manager in post since 2017.

The regulated activity provided by this service is patient transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely.

There were no special reviews or investigations of the service ongoing by the CQC at any time during the 12 months before this inspection. The service was last inspected in October 2017 where several areas of good practice were identified, and one requirement notice was served around Regulation 17 (Good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act (2008) (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Activity (January 2022 to December 2022):

In the reporting period January 2022 to December 2022 there were 36 patients attended to. Five patients were transported in the ambulance.

Track record on safety:

No never events

No clinical incidents

No serious injuries

No complaints

There were 13 members of the rapid response team. Five members were first person on scene (FPOS) enhanced trained, 3 were FPOS intermediate trained and 4 people were FPOS basic level.

Updated 9 February 2023

We have not previously rated this service. We rated it as good because:

• Staff collected safety information and used it to improve the service. The learning culture of the service was strong with a focus on learning and training each week. All incidents were discussed for learning each week and progress was formalised using a centralised learning log. Leaders undertook thorough investigations of incidents to maximise learning.
• The service controlled infection risk well and had made improvements in infection prevention and control since our last inspection. The service and its vehicle and equipment were visibly clean and audits were undertaken to assure leaders of the cleanliness of the service.
• 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 ensured that children were safeguarded during treatment.
• Staff were supported to develop their skill set and enhance their competency. There was a strong culture of competency progression.
• The service worked with partners to ensure the best care is offered to all patients. This included working with the local NHS ambulance trust to receive training and to support the local community as community first responders, and working with the retained fire service at Adastral Park to ensure any joint emergency responses were as effective as possible.
• Processes to review the effectiveness and safety of the service were established, with staff being informed of all KPI performance with a whole team approach towards meeting KPI’s.
• The governance of the service was robust, with an established process that caught all aspects of governance for review, such as audits, incidents and training and fed back to staff.
• Staff provided good care and treatment based on current guidelines. Guidelines were updated and created in response to national updates and learning from other providers. The service met agreed response times. Managers continually monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, and respected their privacy and dignity. They provided emotional support to patients.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of the population it served, 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 emergency care.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities.
• Leaders were visible, and ensured there were robust governance, assurance and risk processes for the service and the staff. Risk assessments underpinned the work undertaken by the service.

However:

• There was no formal process for recording the additional service-required training alongside British Telecommunication’s manual training package.
• The service had no completed labels on any sharps bins.
• The service had not been successful in obtaining patient feedback.
• The service did not have a formal vision or strategy.

We rated this service as good because it was safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led.

Updated 22 January 2018

Patient transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely were the main activity provided by the service. We do not have a legal duty to rate independent providers of ambulance services.

Updated 9 February 2023

We have not previously rated this service. We rated it as good. See the overall summary for details.