South Western Ambulance Service receives ‘good’ rating for five services by CQC
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Emergency and Urgent Care, the Emergency Operations Centres, Resilience, Urgent Care*, and Patient Transport Services** at South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) as good, following inspections between April and July this year.
As part of each inspection, the CQC scores services against several measures including safe, effective and caring. The Trust's Emergency Operations Centres in Bristol and Exeter (where 999 calls are received), and Emergency and Urgent Care (Front Line Operations) were both rated outstanding for caring. This is a fantastic reflection of the compassion, professionalism and dedication shown to patients every day across the South West.
Dr John Martin, Chief Executive, South Western Ambulance Service, said: "I would like to thank our people for this fantastic achievement, especially those who supported the inspections. Their hard work, compassion and commitment was evident throughout.
"In our strategy, we said that we wanted to be recognised as an improving organisation. These results are another important sign that we are beginning to see the impact of the significant time, effort and focus that has gone into making that ambition a reality.
"The reports recognise the progress we have made since our previous inspection. That progress has involved listening to feedback, strengthening our services, improving the way we work and maintaining a clear focus on quality, often in challenging and demanding circumstances.
"There is still work to do, and the CQC feedback will help us continue to learn and improve. But for now, there is plenty to be proud of."
What makes this achievement even more significant is the context in which it has been achieved. Since the Trust's previous inspection in 2018, the way the CQC assesses and rates services has evolved, with greater emphasis on evidence, quality improvement and demonstrating impact. Against that backdrop, achieving good ratings across all five services inspected, alongside two outstanding ratings for caring, is a testament to the commitment, professionalism and hard work of colleagues across the Trust.
The overall rating for South Western Ambulance Service remains good, with the remaining well-led part of the inspection due to take place this Autumn.
*Urgent Care - Tiverton Urgent Treatment Centre
**Patient Transport Services - Isles of Scilly only