Great North Air Ambulance Service - Headquarters

Updated 19 October 2022

Great North Air Ambulance Service Headquarters is operated by The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). The Great North Air Ambulance Service is a charity and provides emergency and urgent care for patients across Northern and North East England. A team of doctors and paramedics deliver medical care. Clinical staff travel by helicopter air ambulance or a rapid response vehicle (RRV).

The service is an independent ambulance with a registered headquarters in the Tees Valley area and a base in Cumbria.

The service is registered for the following regulated activities.

• Treatment of disease, disorder, or injury

• Transport services, triage, and medical advice provided remotely

• Diagnostic or screening procedures

• Surgical procedures

The service primarily serves the communities of Northern and North East England and covers an area of approximately 8,000 square miles. This includes from North Yorkshire, to the Scottish Borders, and the Irish Sea on the Cumbrian West coast. The charity is home to three helicopters and four rapid response vehicles

The Great North Air Ambulance Service has previously been inspected by the Care Quality Commission in March 2018, November 2013, December 2012, and December 2011. We found the service was meeting all the standards of quality and safety it was inspected against. The service has not previously been rated.

Updated 19 October 2022

The service was previously inspected in 2018; however, we did not rate the service at this time.

We rated it as outstanding overall because:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, there was comprehensive systems to keep people safe taking into account current best practice. The whole team was engaged in reviewing and improving safety and safeguarding. Staff understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service-controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. Medicines were managed safely, stored correctly, and disposed of safely. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
• Staff provided a high standard of care and treatment and gave patients pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to comprehensive 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. People who use services were active partners in their care. Staff were fully committed to working in partnership with people. They provided emotional support to patients, families, and carers.
• The involvement of other organisations and the local community was integral to how services were planned and ensured that services met the needs of local people and the communities it served. It also worked with others in the wider system and local and national organisations to plan care. The service treated concerns and complaints seriously, investigated them and shared lessons learned with all staff, including those in partner organisations.
• Leadership, management, and governance of the organisation assured the delivery of high quality and person-centred care, supported learning and innovation, promoting an open and fair culture. 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 to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to continuous service improvement.

However:

• There was a service level agreement (SLA) in place with the department of blood transfusion with an NHS Foundation Trust in the region; however, this had not been reviewed and dated by both services.

Updated 19 October 2022

The service had not been rated 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, there was comprehensive systems to keep people safe taking into account current best practice. The whole team was engaged in reviewing and improving safety and safeguarding. Staff understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service-controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. Medicines were managed safely, stored correctly, and disposed of safely. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
• Staff provided a high standard of care and treatment and gave patients pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to comprehensive 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 involvement of other organisations and the local community was integral to how services were planned and ensured that services met the needs of local people and the communities it served. It also worked with others in the wider system and local and national organisations to plan care. The service treated concerns and complaints seriously, investigated them and shared lessons learned with all staff, including those in partner organisations.
• Leadership, management, and governance of the organisation assured the delivery of high quality and person-centred care, supported learning and innovation, promoting an open and fair culture. 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 to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

However:

• There was a service level agreement (SLA) in place with the department of blood transfusion with an NHS Foundation trust in the region; however, this had not been reviewed and dated by both services.