We are delighted that we have been rated as ‘good’ following an inspection from the healthcare regulator, Care Quality Commission (CQC), in February 2020.
The inspection, which took place in February 2020, resulted in an overall rating of ‘good’ for both of the NWAS services inspected: urgent and emergency care and emergency operations centres (EOC).
An ‘outstanding’ rating was given for the ‘responsiveness’ element of the inspection of urgent and emergency care.
In the findings report, inspectors praised innovative ways of working with other healthcare services and highlighted how we promote equality, taking a pro-active approach to caring for patient’s individual needs.
The care, compassion and kindness of staff shone through as inspectors saw the emotional support staff gave to patients as well as the respect and privacy they demonstrated.
Multi-agency schemes and a collaborative approach with partner organisations were recognised as outstanding practice. An example is the dedicated falls service which runs in Burnley and sees a paramedic working together with an occupational therapist to provide practical support to patients who have fallen in the home. Another scheme in Blackpool was also highlighted, where we work with police colleagues to provide a dedicated mental health response, as well as the work that takes place to support frequent users of the service.
In term of improvements, the regulator said we should improve issues around safeguarding concerns, incident reporting, response times, long waits, clinical contact shift supervision and appraisals.
All these issues have been noted and improvements are being put into place, if they have not already happened.