- Ambulance service
Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance Charity
Report from 7 March 2025 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
We carried out an announced assessment of Linc and Notts Air Ambulance Charity on 3 July 2024 and went back to the service to gather more evidence on 5 February 2025. We carried out this assessment in line with our assessment priorities. We announced the assessment two days in advance, so enough staff members would be available to speak to us. We carried out a comprehensive assessment, covering all quality statements and evidence categories for this type of service. We rated the service overall as outstanding. Safety was a priority for everyone with a culture of openness and collaboration. People were always safe in the care of staff, and staff recognised when safeguarding was required to protect people. There was a strong learning culture and a positive and proactive culture around safety. There were high standards of infection prevention and control. Staff members were highly trained with the right skills. Medications were safely correctly and administered. People’s needs were carefully assessed before receiving care and treatment, which was delivered using evidence-based care to give the best outcomes. Leaders inspired a culture of improvement and exploring the very best practice. The service worked closely with others to ensure it was part of a system of health and care and a multidisciplinary team approach. Patient feedback, research and monitoring was used to improve outcomes for patients. Staff followed legal frameworks around consent and understood patients’ rights. Patients were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion and their dignity respected. People were treated as individuals with an understanding of their cultural identity and diversity. The service cared about the wellbeing of staff and supported them to be at their best.
People's experience of this service
Patients and families were all positive and said staff treated them with kindness, respect and warmth. They said staff treated them as individuals and respected their decisions about care and treatment. Staff made sure family and other people at the scene of an incident were looked after. Patients said staff put them at ease and ensured they were comfortable and confident to travel on the helicopter. They saw how the team worked well with other emergency services. People felt confident and happy to give feedback and appreciated the opportunity to visit the service headquarters after incidents to ask questions and thank the teams personally.