South Central Ambulance Service told to make improvements to safeguarding
Inspectors say the NHS Trust is now making changes after their visit in November
Last updated 11th Feb 2022
The South Central Ambulance Service has been told to make improvements to its safeguarding processes.
The Care Quality Commission visited the NHS Trust in November, to check solely on the safety and quality of its safeguarding systems.
It came after a number of concerns were raised to inspectors.
Officials say changes are now being made and concerns are being addressed.
"No checks in place"
Michael Acheson, the CQC's deputy chief inspector for hospital inspection, said: “We undertook this inspection of South Central Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust because of concerns raised to us about how the trust was delivering its safeguarding responsibilities.
“Staff on the front line were protecting patients from abuse and the service worked with other agencies to ensure this was happening. However, the trust’s safeguarding policies were noted to be ambiguous.
“Safeguarding training was limited and there were no checks in place to ensure all staff completed it. Leaders and teams were not using systems to manage safeguarding reporting and risks and issues were not always identified or raised. There were also not enough staff to meet current safeguarding demands.
“Following the inspection, we told the trust that it must take action to improve its processes for reporting safeguarding. I am pleased to say that the trust took immediate action and all the concerns raised are now being addressed.”
The service "takes feedback seriously"
Will Hancock, Chief Executive of South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am pleased the CQC inspection found that patients using SCAS services were safeguarded and referrals were appropriate but it also highlighted some areas of governance and training which require focus and improvement. We welcome the CQC’s input to help us continuously improve our services.
“SCAS takes this feedback very seriously and had commenced a review prior to the inspection, including the resourcing of the safeguarding team and the way we manage safeguarding. Like many NHS organisations, we have faced considerable and sustained pressure through the pandemic and operational pressures impacted on our ability to deliver some elements of training during this period.
“We have taken immediate action and provided assurance to the CQC and our commissioners that all concerns raised are being addressed and many have already been resolved.
“The CQC highlighted that SCAS staff had an understanding of how to protect patients from abuse and neglect and worked closely with other agencies to do so. The inspection team also reported increases in the number of safeguarding referrals being made to local authorities by SCAS.
“We have developed a comprehensive action plan which includes an external review of all of our policies and training, and an independent review of the team. We have brought in an interim safeguarding expert to support the delivery of the action plan and wider team.
“I am confident these additional measures will ensure safeguarding continues to be a high priority in SCAS and the additional focus and resources will enable us to better support our colleagues across our Local Safeguarding Boards effectively.”Greatest Hits Radio has contacted the South Central Ambulance Service for a comment.