The North East's "passionate" helicopter heroes have been given an "outstanding" rating by the Care Quality Commission.
Though it has been inspected before, the CQC has never previously given the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) a formal rating. Now, after an assessment in July, inspectors at the health watchdog have praised the service in glowing terms.
The service was rated outstanding overall and for being safe and well-led. It was rated good for being effective, caring and responsive. Sarah Dronsfield, CQC head of hospital inspection said: "When we inspected GNAAS, we were extremely impressed by the level of care and support people received when using this service."
Read more: BBC Ambulance highlights how emergency services handled Sunderland gas explosion
She singled out innovations including a system whereby GNAAS staff can use software to access mobile phones at the scene of incidents and a "bag system" which helps staff transport lifesaving kit like ventilators to emergency call-outs. She also praised how staff were often trained in more than one role - meaning the service could adapt rapidly to workforce pressures.
Ms Dronsfield added: "There was a genuine culture of wanting to provide the best care for patients and a desire to improve services. Staff at all levels were passionate about the service provided and were proud to work for the charity. Leaders inspired shared purpose to deliver and motivate staff to succeed.
"The whole team deserve to be congratulated for all their hard work and commitment."
Other highlights of the inspection report include praise for the GNAAS "major incident response plan", the way clear processes are in place, and for how lessons were learned and the service strove for improvements. The CQC added: "All staff we spoke with were extremely passionate about being open and honest, so they could identify learning and improve the quality of care they gave."
Understandably, management at GNAAS - which runs a charity dependent on donations - were delighted at the report. Andy Mawson, director of operations, said the rating was "a huge achievement". He added: "Whilst our teams responding by helicopter and rapid response vehicle are the most visible part of our service, and the care that we deliver the most important to our communities, there is a massive workload behind the scenes to make our service truly ‘Outstanding’.
“There is an incredible team of people that have made this happen. Every single member of our team has allowed us to achieve the highest rating of care. But it doesn't end there. Every single person that has ever supported our cause has enabled this. From our lottery players to our corporate partners, our donors to our legacies, our runners to our communities."
David Stockton, chief executive added: “This is an incredible achievement in any healthcare environment, but in a complex air ambulance service it is amazing. Credit has to go to the whole team in Operations who have put an unbelievable effort into the submission for the CQC, and the upholding of exacting standards. It is absolutely deserved, and hard earned, but validates the incredible work of our teams every day."
READ NEXT:
