The Care Quality Commission
  • Ambulance service

Archived: British Red Cross London

28 Worple Road, London, SW19 4EE (020) 8944 0246

Provided and run by:
British Red Cross Society

All Inspections

19 December 2013

During a routine inspection

During our inspection we spoke with the registered manager, the officer in charge of operations and ambulance support and two senior staff in business support. We did not speak with anyone who had used the service, but we did examine the results of the providers last patient survey, which had been carried out between July and October 2013. The comments the service received were very positive with the vast majority of people stating they were happy with the advice and treatment they had been given by event first aiders. One person wrote 'the whole team were very professional in their work and effectively carried out their duties. We were very glad they were there for us when the accident happened'. Another person said 'both the people who helped me were brilliant, caring, gentle and very professional'.

We found the advice and treatment people received met their needs. The provider also worked closely with other agencies, such as the London Ambulance Service (LAS), the Metropolitan Police and hospitals across London. We found guidance and instructions had been made available to staff on the prevention and control of infection, which included how to maintain the cleanliness of ambulances. We saw appropriate checks were undertaken before staff could begin working for the service and that staff received all the training and support they needed. And there were effective systems in place to regularly monitor the quality of the service provided, as well as deal with complaints.

6 December 2012

During a routine inspection

During our inspection we did not speak with people who had used the service. We looked at records kept by the service and found these contained detailed information about the care and treatment received by people. We found guidance and instructions had been made available to staff and volunteers on the prevention and control of infection and how to maintain cleanliness. We checked equipment used by the service and saw this was regularly checked and maintained for safety. Staff and volunteers received training to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. There were systems in place to regularly monitor and assess the quality of service provided.