Magpas Air Ambulance service rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission
An air ambulance service has been praised for delivering “exceptional outcomes for people and saving lives” following an inspection.
Magpas Air Ambulance has been rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after a visit to its airbase last month.
Zoe Robinson, CQC head of hospital inspection, said inspectors were “very impressed” with the service, adding: “It was exceeding the steps we would expect it to take to ensure people receive safe and effective care and treatment.
“This meant the service was delivering exceptional outcomes for people and saving lives.
“Being rated outstanding by CQC is the result of considerable hard work, so I congratulate everyone at the service who achieved this high standard for the people they serve.”
Magpas Air Ambulance chief executive Daryl Brown said the rating, which was published on Friday, was a reflection on the whole team and the “huge amount of hard work and dedication that they contribute daily”.
“I want to express my thanks to everyone at the charity, our patients and supporters – it is only by all us working together that we can achieve such excellent results,” he said.
The CQC found “many examples of outstanding practice” and a “positive patient-focused culture”.
Inspectors said the service used “innovation and research to improve patient outcomes” and achieve the service’s mission of saving lives.
Magpas Air Ambulance provides 24/7 emergency care to critically ill and injured patients in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and the surrounding counties.
It is one of the oldest emergency medical charities operating in the UK and has pioneered the development of pre-hospital emergency medicine (PHEM).
Lead inspector Quentin Colley-Bontoft said: “The patients we spoke with told us that the support and intervention of staff gave them outstanding care, life support and interventions which enabled them to go on and lead their lives to the full and limited the impact of their serious injuries or conditions.”
The service was also praised for its strong and inspirational leadership and visible person-centred culture where staff were highly motivated and exceptionally proud to work for the service and proud of the impact they had on peoples’ lives.
Inspectors found there was an open culture where all safety concerns raised by staff and people who used the service were valued as integral to learning and improvement.
“Leaders had an inspiring shared purpose, and they strove to deliver and motivate staff to succeed,” inspectors said.
Dr Simon Lewis, the service’s medical director, said: “For 50 years Magpas Air Ambulance has pioneered innovation and excellence in pre-hospital emergency medicine and trained generations of highly skilled clinicians.
“Recognition of our outstanding service will make us more determined to do everything we can to give our patients the very best care long into the future.”
