AB Medical Services (UK) Limited - Office

Updated 8 April 2020

AB Medical Services is operated by AB Medical Services (UK). The service opened in 2014. It is an independent ambulance service in Sittingbourne, Kent. They primarily serve the communities of the south east of England.

The service has had a registered manager in post since the service registered with us on 10 November 2014.

The providers main service was medical cover on event sites. In England, the law makes event organisers responsible for ensuring safety is maintained at events. This meant that the event medical cover came under the remit of the Health and Safety Executive. Therefore, we do not regulate services providing medical cover at events. However, the transport of patients from an event to hospital is a regulated activity.

The provider had a fleet that included one fully equipped ambulance and two rapid response vehicles.

Updated 8 April 2020

AB Medical Services is operated by AB Medical Services (UK) Limited. The service provides emergency and urgent care, and transports patients from event sites to hospital emergency departments when necessary.

We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out an announced inspection on 30 January 2020.

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 medical cover at events. However, we do not currently regulate event medical cover. A small proportion of the service’s activity was the urgent transfer of patients from events sites to hospital. This activity is regulated by us.

This is the first inspection to be rated. We rated it as Good overall.

• Staff supported patients to make informed decisions about their care and treatment.

• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and took account of their individual needs.

• Staff provided emotional support to patients, families and carers to minimise their distress.

• Staff supported and involved patients, families and carers to understand their condition and make decisions about their care and treatment.

• The service planned and provided care in a way that met the needs of local people and the communities served.

• The service was inclusive and took account of patients’ individual needs and preferences. The service made reasonable adjustments to help patients access services.

• People could access the service when they needed it and received the right care in a timely way.

• It was easy for people to give feedback and raise concerns about care received.

• Leaders had the integrity, skills and abilities to run the service. They understood and managed the priorities and issues the service faced. They were visible and approachable in the service for staff. They supported staff to develop their skills and take on more senior roles.

• The service had a vision for what it wanted to achieve.

• Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. The service promoted equality and diversity in daily work and provided opportunities for career development. The service had an open culture where patients, their families and staff could raise concerns without fear.

• Staff at all levels were clear about their roles and accountabilities and had regular opportunities to meet, discuss and learn from the performance of the service.

• Leaders and teams used systems to manage performance effectively.

• The service collected reliable data and analysed it. Staff could find the data they needed, in easily accessible formats, to understand performance, make decisions and improvements.

• Leaders and staff actively and openly engaged with patients, staff, the public and local organisations to plan and manage services. They collaborated with partner organisations to help improve services for patients.

However:

• The service used systems and processes to safely prescribe, administer, record and store medicines. However, they could not monitor and maintain optimal temperature of medicines when away from the location.

Following this inspection, we told the provider that it should make two improvements, even though a regulation had not been breached, to help the service improve. Details are at the end of the report.

Nigel Acheson

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (South and London) on behalf of the Chief Inspector of Hospitals.

Updated 12 January 2018

We found  areas of good  practice at our inspection.

• We saw that ambulances were well equipped with many supplies that were appropriately sealed and in date.

• The service had a good appraisal system, which included audit of staff paperwork and on-the-job review of working practice.

• The service had a good medicines management system that included security for medicines and supplies.

• The service had a clear mission and worked within its established values.

We also found areas for improvement.

• The service used a system of policies and audit to ensure the delivery of strategy and care, but did not have a robust system to manage risks or a system to ensure policies were regularly reviewed.

• The safeguarding lead was not trained to adult and child safeguarding level three at the time of inspection. This was not in line with intercollegiate guidance.

• Bag valve masks (BVMs) expired in 2015.

• Children under age two could not be transported safely as the service did not have equipment to safely transport this group.

However, during the ten-day post inspection period, the service submitted evidence that they had addressed most of these issues by completing safeguarding level three training, replacing the BVMs and purchasing equipment to safely transport children under age two.

Updated 8 April 2020

The main activity provided by this service was event medical cover. However, we do not currently regulate event medical cover. A small proportion of the service’s activity was the urgent transfer of patients from events sites to hospital. This activity is regulated by us.