Services at a North East Ambulance trust have been downgraded to the point where there is "potential for people to be placed at risk of harm".

North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) NHS Foundation Trust has been told by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that improvement is needed, following an inspection in September 2022.

Sarah Dronsfield, CQC’s deputy director of operations in the north, said the inspection revealed that staff did not always have access to critical medicines needed for patients, while crews did not have time to complete vehicle medicine checks, resulting in treatment delays.

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The trust's overall rating has dropped from 'good' to 'requires improvement' following the inspection into the safety and quality of healthcare services provided by the organisation.

Ms Dronsfield said: “When we inspected North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, we found a deterioration in the services being provided, especially in urgent and emergency care where this had potential for people to be placed at risk of harm.

“It was particularly concerning that staff didn’t always have access to critical medicines needed to treat patients and some crews didn’t have time to complete vehicle medicine checks, resulting in treatment delays.

“Staff told us they frequently responded to emergencies without the sufficient quantities of standard medicines they needed to treat common or life-threatening conditions, including morphine and seizure medication.

“In addition, we were concerned the trust was not always thoroughly investigating incidents and may have made decisions based on limited information, reducing the ability to identify learning and prevent reoccurrence.

“Although staff were focused on the needs of patients receiving care, they did not always feel respected, supported and valued."

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In response to the report, Helen Ray, NEAS chief executive, said the NHS and ambulance services as a whole have faced "unprecedented pressures."

In their report, the CQC issued the trust with a warning notice due to concerns found regarding medicines management within urgent and emergency care, and the culture and governance systems within the organisation.

Following the inspection:

  • The overall rating for the trust dropped from good to requires improvement.
  • The overall rating for emergency and urgent care dropped from good to inadequate
  • The overall rating for the NHS 111 service dropped from good to requires improvement
  • The overall rating for the emergency operations centre dropped from good to requires improvement.
  • The trust’s well-led rating dropped to inadequate.

Concerns included that emergency and urgent care did not have effective systems or processes to seek and act upon feedback from staff.

And some staff told inspectors they did not feel they could raise concerns and the trust did not have effective systems to seek and act upon feedback from staff and other relevant persons

The rpeort comes after whistleblower and former coroners' officer Paul Calvert revealed last May he was aware of at least 90 cases where families of people who have died have been misinformed about their loved one’s last moments.

Speaking after Mr Calvert’s dismissal from NEAS, Graeme Morris, Easington MP said he believed the Government has provided little protection to whistleblowers such as Mr Calvert.

Despite the downgrades given to the trust's overall ratings, Ms Dronsfiled took time to praise the work done by staff and the actions taken by the NEAS to address these issues.

She said: “We did, however, also see some positive areas of work. Staff took time to interact with patients in a respectful and considerate way and they maintained their dignity throughout their journey and when being transferred to hospital.

“Through engagement with the trust we know they have taken our concerns seriously and have put in measures to address our findings.

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"We are mindful that ambulance services are operating under increased pressure and we are pleased the trust is keen to make the necessary improvements.

“We will continue to monitor the trust closely to ensure the necessary improvements are made to keep people safe, and we will expect to see sustainable improvements the next time we inspect.”

In addition to this praise, the report highlighted the trust's absence and well-being plans, staff's treatment of patients, favourable survey results, clean station areas, and a robust recruitment plan as postive findings.