L&T Transport Services Wokingham

L&T Transport Services Wokingham is an independent ambulance service. The service provides a patient transport service.

We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out the announced part of the inspection on 29 March 2018.

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 patient transport services.

Services we do not rate

We regulate independent ambulance services but at the time of the inspection we did not have a legal duty to rate them. We highlight good practice and issues that service providers need to improve and take regulatory action as necessary.

We found the following areas that required improvement

• Staff mandatory training records were not up-to-date.

• Staff files were not up-to-date and contained information not relating to their role.

• Not all staff had appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

• There were limited systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided.

• Checklists and supporting documentation were not accurately completed, according to instructions on forms and the service’s policies and procedures.

• The service’s driving policy did not include information relating to driving offences and how this related to staff driving company vehicles.

  However, we also found the following good practices

• The service’s only vehicle was in good condition, well maintained visibly clean and tidy.

• Staff consistently completed and recorded essential daily checks on the service vehicle.

• The service had a clear purpose and identification including staff uniforms.

• The staff planned journeys considering patients’ safety using information at the time of booking.

• Patient booking records were held securely and included appropriate information.

• Staff levels were sufficient to meet the needs of the patient.

• Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and its relevance to their service.

• The service had a duty of candour policy.

Following this inspection, we told the provider that they must take some actions to comply with the regulations and that they should make other improvements, even though a regulation had not been breached, to help the service improve. We also issued the provider with one requirement notice that affected patient transport service. Details are at the end of the report.

Amanda Stanford

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (area of responsibility), on behalf of the Chief Inspector of Hospitals