AMBULANCE service chiefs say they are delighted after the trust shook off its ‘requires improvement’ status to be rated as ‘good’.

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) was told to improve by the Care Quality Commission in a critical report in January last year.

Watchdogs criticised the trust for its safety, management, complaints policy and ensuring staff are given adequate opportunities to report incidents and safeguarding issues.

But following its latest inspection in June and July this year, the trust has been rated as ‘good’ for the overall quality of its services.

The trust is also rated as good for being safe, caring, effective, responsive to people’s needs and well led.

Interim chief executive of NWAS Michael Forrest, said: “We are delighted with a ‘good’ rating from the CQC which we feel reflects the way we deliver services for patients and values the dedication of our hardworking staff who work under ever increasing demand. “

During the inspection, watchdogs checked the quality of three core services: emergency and urgent care service, resilience, and the emergency operation centres.

The CQC also looked specifically at management and leadership.

Inspectors praised the work of community paramedics as outstanding.

They said they worked as members of a multidisciplinary team with community nurses, mental health nurses, teachers and in care homes, and put the needs of the community at the forefront.

Inspectors also said they saw polite, caring and respectful frontline ambulance staff, holding the hands of patients who were scared and acting with compassion and respect towards patients.

Mr Forrest added: “The CQC said that our staff are proud to work for the organisation, and we’re extremely proud of them too.

“We are thrilled the CQC noticed the high levels of care by our frontline staff, where patients were treated with respect and compassion.

“We are particularly happy with improved ‘well-led’ and ‘safe’ ratings, and that the CQC noted staff were engaged with our strategic vision to do the right thing for every patient, every time.

“There’s still a lot of work to do to achieve our aim of becoming the best ambulance service in the country, but this rating assures us, and the people we serve in the North West, that we’re heading in the right direction.”

To improve, the CQC said NWAS should improve systems to ensure vehicles are safe, clean and ready to go, ensure consistent performance measurement and monitoring and standardise care for patients with mental health issues.

Chief inspector of hospitals Professor Ted Baker said: “With 1.4 million calls per year there is constant pressure on the ambulance services in the North West to be there whenever we need them, at all times of the day.

“I am pleased to acknowledge the hard work and continuous improvement made by NWAS to build upon the findings of our last inspection and have helped the trust improve its rating to good.

“We found a patient-centred service where staff consistently showed compassion and respect to patients and callers during some very stressful and demanding situations.”