Publication Scheme

Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust has a legal duty to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme for the publication of the Trust's information.

This scheme is part of the Trusts commitment to openness and transparency, ensuring that certain information is proactively published rather than only available on request. 

Before considering whether to make a FOI request we would encourage you to review what information is already available through the publication scheme on this website.

 

The information is divided up into 7 classes of information:

 

2. What we spend and how we spend it

Below you will find financial information relating to projected and actual income and expenditure, procurement, contracts and financial audit.

Financial statements, budgets and variance reports

Annual Reports and Quality Accounts

Latest publication

Previous publications

Great Western Ambulance Service Annual Reports and Accounts

 

Expenditure over 25K

Please note that this information is updated on a quarterly basis; please be patient and check back in the future if the file you are interested in has not yet been published

 

Agency and third party expenditure

Information on agency and third party expenditure can be found here. 

 

Staff and Board members' allowances and expense

 

 

Financial audit reports

 

Staff pay and grading structures

Details of Chairman and Board remuneration can be found in our Annual Reports.

 

Procurement

Find out more information here. 

 

List and value of contracts awarded

Contract database

 

 

 

3. What our priorities are and how we are doing

Strategies and plans, performance indicators, audits, inspections and reviews.

Annual Reports

Annual Patient Experience Report

Annual reports and accounts 2020-21

Quality Account 2020-21

Quality Account 2021-22

Safeguarding annual report 2020-21

Safeguarding annual report 2021-22

 

 

Targets, Aims and Objectives

 

Performance against targets (KPI)/performance management information

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

Corporate performance reports can be read here

 

Reports by regulatory organisations e.g. Care Quality Commission and NHS England

https://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/new_reports/AAAH3969.pdf (CQC Inspection Report - 26 June to 18 July 2018)

CQC NHS 111 quality report (June 2016)

NHS England root cause analysis investigation report - William Mead (May 2016)

 

Patient Safety

The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) has commissioned, with the support of the then Clinical Commissioning Groups and NHS England, a Patient Safety Incident Investigation (PSII), into the wider system pressures influencing NHS ambulance response times in the South West of England.

The PSII report is underpinned by investigation of 49 patient-safety-incidents which occurred between 1 December 2021 and 31 May 2022. Based on its findings the report makes a series of recommendations for SWASFT, the Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and their system partners in the NHS and social care, as well as NHS England, to act upon.

The full report is available here.

Addendum (1) to the Patient Safety Incident Investigation (PSII) Report – Investigation to examine the wider system pressures  influencing NHS ambulance response times in the South West Region of England is available here.

 

4. How we make decisions

Board papers 

Our Board convenes publicly six times annually, inviting public participation. We encourage members of the public to raise questions on any agenda item. Written inquiries must be sent to the Company Secretary at  corporate.governance@swast.nhs.uk by 5pm three working days ahead of the meeting. These questions will be addressed by the Chair during the meeting, and a written response will be provided within 10 working days of the meeting. 

Occasionally, timings of our Board meetings may change, so please check the Trust's website to ensure you have the up-to-date date and time. 

Board papers can be found Board Papers

 

The Integrated Corporate Performance Report (ICPR)

ICPR is a key document that reflects our Trust's performance across various operational areas, including finance, quality of care, patient safety, and organisational health. 

Integrated Corporate Performance Report

 

Public Consultations and Engagement Activities

Join us for our Annual members meeting available for members of the public and staff to join.

Annual Members Meeting

 

5. Our priorities and procedures

Current written protocols, policies and procedures for delivering our services and responsibilities.

Policies and procedures relating to the conduct of business and the provision of our services

Infection Prevention and Control Information

Capacity_Consent_De-escalation_and_Safe_Holding_Policy

Safeguarding_Policy

Frequent Caller Management Policy

Learning From Deaths Policy

 

Policies and procedures relating to Human Resources including recruitment and employment policies, Equality and Diversity Policy

Modern Slavery Act - Trust Statement

Disciplinary Process

Equality Diversity and Inclusion Policy

Grievance Policy

Performance_and Development_Policy

Recruitment and Selection Policy

Sickness_Absence_Policy

Health_and_Safety_Policy

 

Standing financial procedures/instructions

Standing Financial Instructions

 

Complaints and other customer service policies and procedures

You can contactus us and make a complaint here.

 

Data protection/records management/Caldicott Guardian

Making a Subject Access Request

GDPR privacy notice for employees

GDPR privacy notice for patients

 

Green Plan 2021-2024

Green Plan 2021-2024

6. Lists and registers

Information held in registers required by law and other lists and registers relating to the functions of our organisation.

Any information our organisation is currently legally required to hold in publicly available registers

 Board Conflict of Interest Register_— Last updated 26 September 2024

Council of Governors Conflict of Interest Register

Register of Interests Decision making staff - other than Trust Board and Governors

 

FOI Disclosure Logs

Since April 2017 we have published the full response to all FOI requests received. Prior to that date full responses can be requested by making a FOI request through our standard FOI request procedures.

SWASFT disclosure logs

GWAS disclosure logs

Until 1 February 2013 the geographic area now covered by SWASFT was previously covered by two different organisations. Ambulance services in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset were provided by SWASFT and services in Avon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire were provided by the Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS).

Freedom of information requests received before the 1 February 2013 were processed separately by each organisation. GWAS became part of SWASFT on 1 February 2013 so any requests received from this date onward relating to any part of the new larger trust area appear on the SWASFT disclosure log.

7. The services we offer

The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) offers a range of services designed to provide comprehensive emergency and non-emergency care.

 

Here are the primary services we provide:

 

Emergency Ambulance Services (999):

  • Response to emergency 999 calls.
  • Provision of immediate medical care and transportation to hospitals.

 

NHS 111 Service:

  • Non-emergency medical advice.
  • Assessment and direction to appropriate care or services.

 

Patient Transport Services (PTS):

  • Non-emergency transport for patients who need assistance getting to and from healthcare appointments.

 

Urgent Care Services:

  • Management of urgent but non-life-threatening medical situations.
  • Clinical assessment and treatment without hospital admission.

 

Community First Responders (CFRs):

  • Volunteers trained to provide initial care in their local communities until the arrival of an ambulance.

Clinical Hubs:

  • Telephone-based clinical advice and support.
  • Assessment and triage of calls to ensure appropriate response and care.

 

Specialist Paramedic Services:

  • Advanced care provided by paramedics with additional training in areas such as critical care, urgent care, and mental health.

 

Air Ambulance Services:

  • Rapid response and transportation for critically ill or injured patients via helicopter.

 

Event Medical Cover:

  • Provision of medical services at public events.

 

Resilience and Special Operations:

  • Coordination and response to major incidents and large-scale emergencies.
  • Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART) for dangerous environments.

 

Training and Education:

  • Professional development for ambulance staff.
  • Public education programs on first aid and emergency response.

 

Mental Health Support Services:

  • Specialised care for patients experiencing mental health crises.
  • Integration with mental health services for appropriate care pathways.

 

These services ensure that SWASFT can effectively respond to a wide range of medical needs and emergencies, providing essential care to the communities we serve.

How we fit into the NHS structure

How we fit into the NHS structure?

NHS Constitution

The constitution is one of the most important documents within any foundation trust and all foundation trusts are required to have one. A foundation trust’s constitution is distinct from the overarching NHS Constitution, and the two documents cover different subjects.

  • The NHS Constitution summarises the rights to which patients, public and staff are entitled, includes pledges which the NHS is committed to achieve, and outlines the responsibilities that the public, patients and staff owe to one another to ensure that the NHS operates fairly and effectively. It operates across England (as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are responsible for developing their own health policies) and the NHS Constitution is not affected by a foundation trust’s constitution.
  • South Western Ambulance Service Foundation Trust's Constitution contains detailed information about how our trust will operate. It sets out, for example, our foundation trust’s membership area, gives information on the various membership constituencies, and determines the size and composition of the board of directors and the council of governors. It also prescribes the rules by which any election to the council of governors is to be conducted.
  • All constitutions must comply with statutory requirements (those set out in legislation, such as the National Health Service Act 2006 and the Health and Social Care Act 2012) and therefore some of the content is consistent across all foundation trusts. Legislation also specifies a number of items that must appear within all foundation trust constitutions.
  • Any amendments to the constitution require the approval of both the board of directors and the council of governors.

 

Information relating to key organisations with we work in partnership with

Location and contact details for all public-facing departments

  • Get in touch
  • Press office
  • Map (please note ambulance premises are not accessible to the public with the exception of our Trust Headquarters in Exeter)

Additional information

Meetings with pharmaceutical companies and other medical suppliers

Meetings of this nature happen on an infrequent ad-hoc basis. If you have a specific enquiry of this nature, please contact Information.Governance@swast.nhs.uk in the first instance.

 

 

Quick links

  1. Become a member
  2. Join the team
  3. Get involved
  4. Calling us