Hatzola Herts

Updated 10 January 2023

Hatzola Herts was registered in October 2021 and is operated by the provider, Hatzola Herts. It is a local volunteer community ambulance service funded by private finances and charitable donations. It was set up to provide emergency first response and medical support, not exclusively but, predominantly to the local Jewish community. Hatzola is a brand provided by several distinct organisations. Each Hatzola ambulance service is registered under CQC with separate legal entities across England.

Hatzola Herts provides services to South West Hertfordshire area only. This is a separate service to the locally commissioned NHS ambulance provider, which is used to respond to life threatening or high-risk emergency calls. The service is situated in a Jewish community and has many Jewish staff and volunteers within the service. Patients ranged from the critically ill and injured, to those with minor healthcare needs who could be assessed and treated at home, in the community or provided with self-care advice. Calls were received on a dedicated emergency number with a team of volunteer dispatchers manning the lines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

At the time of our inspection, there were 90 members of staff, most of which were volunteers. There were currently 17 volunteers who responded to emergency calls, referred to as responders. The first 2 responders attended in their own cars, and another responder was dispatched to take the ambulance when required. There were 16 dispatchers whose responsibility it was to answer calls and pass them to the responders. There was a senior clinical team, which included a medical director and a clinical lead, to provide additional support.

The service attended 192 calls in the last year, of which 148 patients were transported to a local hospital.

The service had a registered manager in post and was registered to carry out the following regulated activities:

• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury
• Transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely

The service user group was for the whole population. The service does not support the transfer of people detained under the Mental Health Act (MHA).

Hatzola Herts was registered in 2021 and had not been previously inspected.

Updated 10 January 2023

This was the first inspection for Hatzola Herts. 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. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them. Staff collected performance information and used it to improve the service.
• Staff provided good care and treatment, and gave patients pain relief when they needed it. The service met agreed response times. 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 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 conditions. 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 treatment.
• 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:

• Staff interview records were not always available in staff files.

Updated 10 January 2023

This is the first time we have rated this service. We rated it as good overall.

We rated this service as good because it was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.

Please refer to overall summary above.