The Care Quality Commission
  • Ambulance service

Archived: British Red Cross Hertford

Baker Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire, SG13 7HT 0844 412 2830

Provided and run by:
British Red Cross Society

All Inspections

5 February 2014

During a routine inspection

Due to the nature of the service were not able to speak to people who had been treated by British Red Cross (BRC) volunteers during our inspection. However, we spoke to three events' organisers who commissioned services from the BRC. All told us that they would recommend the BRC, that they were reliable and that their staff were professional. One organiser commented, 'I've not got a bad word to say about them, their communication is good and what's so helpful for us is that they send the same duty manager each year for the race so they know what our event entails'. Another organiser told us, 'They're easy to book, reliable and their staff always attend our pre-event safety briefings. I find the staff professional, smartly dressed and lovely'.

Volunteers we spoke with told us they enjoyed the variety of their work and received good quality training form the BRC. One volunteer reported, 'It's a great environment to meet people from all walks of life and the skills you learn are fantastic'.

We found that BRC was compliant in all the outcomes we assessed. Evidence showed that people were treated by well trained and supported staff and that infection control procedures and medicines management were robust.

26 February 2013

During a routine inspection

Given the nature of this service we were not able to talk with people who had received treatment from British Red Cross volunteers. However we did speak with five people who commissioned them to provide first aid support at their events. We received very positive feedback and all five told us they would recommend the service provided by the British Red Cross. One event's organiser told us, 'They're always quick off the mark if needed and on one occasion were happy to transport the person to hospital themselves, as the ambulance was going to take ages to arrive'. Another person told us, 'The staff know what they are doing and more importantly know when to refer on: they don't try and do things they're not qualified for'. We received many comments about the reliability of the service. One event's organiser told us, 'I find the volunteers, friendly and efficient and most importantly they are totally reliable and have never let us down. This is critical to us, as if there's no first aid service at our games, they get cancelled'. People appreciated the flexibility of the service and one organiser commented, 'If our competition goes over time, they are always more than happy to stay on without a fuss'.

We found that the British Red Cross Hertford was compliant in all outcome areas we assessed and that people were treated by well trained and supported staff.