Updated 28 January 2020
Medi 4 Ambulance Service is operated by Medi 4 Ambulance Services Ltd. The service opened in 2016. It is an independent ambulance service in Findon, Sussex. The service primarily serves the communities of west Sussex and Surrey. It has a second location in Rowfant, Crawley and is in the process of registering a third location in Winchester, Hampshire.
The service has had a registered manager in post since 2016.
Updated 28 January 2020
Medi 4 Ambulance Service is operated by Medi 4 Ambulance Services Ltd. The company provides private ambulance services, repatriation as well as event medical cover and first aid training. These last two activities are not regulated by the CQC and are not included in this report.
We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out an unannounced visit to the primary ambulance station on 1 October 2019. We also visited the nearby location which was used to house some of the ambulance fleet and stock items.
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.
The main service provided by this service was a patient transport service. NHS non-emergency patient transport services help people to access healthcare in England. It is free at the point of use for people who meet a certain medical criterion and are unable to use public or other transport.
We rated it as 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 risks 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. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients and had access to good information.
Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs. 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 transport.
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.
However:
The service did not always make sure staff were competent for their roles. Managers did not always appraise staff’s work performance or hold supervision meetings with them to provide support and development. The provider did not always complete annual driver assessment checks in line with their policy.
Following this inspection, we told the provider that it must take some actions to comply with the regulations. Details are at the end of the report.
Name of signatory
Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (London and South East), on behalf of the Chief Inspector of Hospitals
Updated 28 January 2020
Medi 4 provides a patient transport service for the local NHS Ambulance Trust.
We rated the service as good for safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led because there were systems in place to ensure safe care of patients, patient feedback was consistently positive and there were processes in place to meet individual needs.
We gave the service two things they must do to remain within regulation. These relate to staff appraisals and annual driver assessments.