TrailMed

Updated 23 March 2023

TrailMed is operated by TrailMed Limited and is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. There are some exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of service, and these are set out in Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

CQC regulates the emergency and urgent care service provided by TrailMed Limited. The other services provided by TrailMed, are not regulated by CQC as they do not fall into the CQC scope of regulation. The areas of TrailMed Limited that are not regulated are provision of first aid treatment at sporting events and health and fitness testing for athletes. However, where TrailMed convey a patient from an event to hospital, this activity falls into the remit of CQC and is regulated activity.

TrailMed Limited is an independent ambulance service based in Leicestershire and operates across the country. They provide first aid treatment and advice for people attending events, such as sporting events across the country and abroad. This activity is not regulated by CQC.

They have been registered with CQC since May 2020 to provide the following registered activities;

• Diagnostic and screening procedures
• Transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely.
• Treatment of disease, disorder and injury.

They provide regulated activity for people over the age of 18 years.

TrailMed also provide a phlebotomy service from their base in Leicestershire where patients can book appointments directly and on behalf of an independent company who provide phlebotomy services in various locations.

This was the service’s first inspection.

The service has a registered manager in post who is also the director/owner and nominated individual

The service employs 3 substantive staff who provide management, emergency and urgent care at events and the phlebotomy service. A fourth person is subcontracted as an account’s manager and personal assistant to the medical director. Ambulance crew including paramedics, ambulance technicians, doctors and student doctors are employed on an ad-hoc basis to support events when there is a possibility emergency or urgent care work will be required.

Updated 23 March 2023

This was the first time we inspected this service. We rated it as good because:

• 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 risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records.
• Staff provided good care and treatment and gave patients pain relief when they needed it. The service met stakeholder and patient expectations. Managers made sure staff were competent and monitored patient and stakeholder satisfaction. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their immediate health needs. They provided emotional support to patients and relatives.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of people in different circumstances, 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 treatment.
• The registered manager ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s values, and 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 their stakeholders to plan and manage services well. They used feedback from patients to improve the service.

However.

• They did not manage storage and stock control of medicines well. This was rectified immediately after our inspection.
• Managers did not routinely use clinical audit to monitor the effectiveness of the care they provided.
• Although substantive staff had daily meetings with the medical director to plan their work and assess risks, they did not hold formal governance meetings with staff. This was rectified immediately after our inspection.
• Although new staff had their skills and competency checked during induction, there was no formal record of this. The registered manager planned to add this to the electronic monitoring system.

Updated 23 March 2023