SNP Medical

Updated 13 December 2021

The provider, SNP Medical is an independent ambulance service working within Leicestershire and Rutland. It opened in 2016 and the current registered manager has been in place since opening. The registered manager is also the owner.

SNP Medical provides patient transport services in and around Leicester and Leicestershire. The service transports adults, children and those detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. The service provides transport services to the local NHS trust and works with other local independent providers. There are six staff working for SNP Medical as non-clinical ambulance care assistants in addition to the registered manager. All these staff worked in patient transport service attendant roles. Additionally, there is one administrator working in the service.

The service had three patient transport vehicles available for use.

The regulated activity delivered by the provider is transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely.

We last inspected SNP Medical in May 2021 when we rated the service as inadequate. Two warning notices and a requirement notice were issued following the inspection. We issued two Section 29 Warning Notices for breaches of Regulation 15 and Regulation 17. We also issued a Requirement Notice for a breach of Regulation 19. An action plan was submitted by the provider.

Updated 13 December 2021

We carried out an inspection of SNP Medical using our focused inspection methodology on 4 November 2021. The inspection was carried out due to concerns raised during the last inspection in May 2021. Regulatory breaches were identified during the inspection in May 2021 and the provider was issued with two warning notices and a requirement notice. This inspection was to review compliance with the actions required to be taken in relation to the breaches identified. We inspected four of the five key questions: safe, effective, responsive and well led.

Our inspection was an unannounced inspection (the provider did not know we were coming).

This service was placed in special measures in April 2020.

During this inspection we found that significant improvements had been made by the provider and that all appropriate actions had been taken to address the regulatory breaches identified at the last inspection in May 2021.

Following this inspection, we have not taken any enforcement action and we have re-rated the service to demonstrate the improvements made.

Our rating of this location improved. We rated it as good because:

• The registered manager had improved processes for ensuring vehicle cleanliness.
• A clinical waste contract had been set up to ensure the safe management of clinical waste.
• Policies had been developed with the support of an external agency to ensure they referred to up to date guidance.
• Regular meetings had been established with referring providers to discuss any concerns and issues.
• All staff had completed safeguarding adults and children training appropriate to their role and were up to date with training requirements.

However:

• We found that pre-employment recruitment checks were still not robust. Not all staff files fully complied with schedule three recruitment requirements.
• There was limited use of performance and outcome information by the service and still no system of routine audits to monitor quality.
• The service still did not have any measurable standards identified within its statement of purpose document to enable demonstration of achievement of service objectives and aspirations.
• Governance systems were still not embedded to ensure the manager had full oversight of issues, concerns and quality.
• Patient complaint information was still not displayed in transport vehicles.

Updated 13 December 2021

Our rating of this location improved. We rated it as good because:

• The registered manager had improved processes for ensuring vehicle cleanliness.
• A clinical waste contract had been set up to ensure the safe management of clinical waste.
• Policies had been developed with the support of an external agency to ensure they referred to up to date guidance.
• Regular meetings had been established with referring providers to discuss any concerns and issues.
• All staff had completed safeguarding adults and children training appropriate to their role and were up to date with training requirements.

However:

• We found that pre-employment recruitment checks were still not robust. Not all staff files fully complied with schedule three recruitment requirements.
• There was limited use of performance and outcome information by the service and still no system of routine audits to monitor quality.
• The service still did not have any measurable standards identified within its statement of purpose document to enable demonstration of achievement of service objectives and aspirations.
• Governance systems were still not embedded to ensure the manager had full oversight of issues, concerns and quality.
• Patient complaint information was still not displayed in transport vehicles.