The East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) has passed its most recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which confirms that everyone helped by the Charity receives care of the highest quality.
The EAAA, which provides the air ambulance service across Bedfordshire, Cambridge, Norfolk and Suffolk, operates from bases at Cambridge and Norwich. It has to be inspected regularly by the CQC, the independent regulator of health and social care services in England, to ensure that its personnel and facilities meet a range of standards relating to overall quality and safety of care. The EAAA’s most recent inspections took place in February. The subsequent reports confirmed that each base was meeting the standards required in all categories inspected.
These recent CQC reports have been welcomed by the Charity’s Chief Executive, Tim Page: He said: “The CQC gave us a thorough inspection and we are very pleased with the results. We aim to be a leader in pre-hospital emergency medicine and the Commission has recognised the efforts we are making to achieve this. There is always more work to do, of course, and we are already aiming to exceed these high standards, but our dedicated operations and clinical staff should feel very proud that they helped the Charity to achieve such a positive report.”
Anna Price, Clinical Governance Manager at the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) which tasks the EAAA’s aircraft, added: “The CQC’s reports are great news and we congratulate the EAAA. It is very impressive to see that the Charity has maintained such high standards of care and we are delighted to be working so closely with them. Patients should know that, should they ever need the air ambulance, they will be treated by a team focused on providing the best possible care, based on the highest professional clinical standards and practice.”
The inspections were conducted during visits to both bases, through interviews with staff and detailed inspections of the premises, facilities and equipment, including the aircraft.
At the Cambridge base, inspectors noted that the staff they spoke to ‘showed a high level of motivation and commitment to their work’, and that one paramedic commented, “Everyone that works here, wants to work here and do their best, we are genuinely motivated people”. Inspectors also commented how much EAAA staff valued the open culture of the Charity and that staff were fully consulted and involved in all major decisions affecting the organisation.
The inspection also covered areas including:
· Requirements relating to workers
· Respecting and involving people who use the service
· Cooperating with other providers
· Cleanliness and infection control
· Supporting workers· The safety, availability and suitability of equipment
For more information on the work of the East Anglian Air Ambulance, visit www.eaaa.org.uk or call 08450 669 999. You can also follow us on Twitter at @EastAngliAirAmb or ‘like’ our Facebook page – East Anglian Air Ambulance Charity.