Outstanding work by paramedics helps North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust achieve Good rating

NORTH West Ambulance Service has been rated as:- 'good' following its latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection, after receiving:- 'requires improvement' 2 years ago. The most recent inspection took place in June 2018 and resulted in an overall rating of:- 'good' as well as:- 'good' ratings for 3 of the trust's core services; urgent and emergency care, emergency operations centres and resilience teams.

CQC saw polite, caring and respectful frontline Ambulance Staff, holding the hands of patients who were scared and acting with compassion and respect towards patients. All Ambulance staff said they were proud of their profession and CQC said this was reflected in them providing good quality care.

Outstanding practice was noted where community specialist paramedics worked as members of multidisciplinary teams with Community Nurses, Mental Health Nurses, Teachers and in Care Homes on preventative measures, aimed at reducing the number of admittances to Emergency Departments. An internal educational publication for clinical staff and a health and wellbeing programme were found to be outstanding practice too.

CQC said that highly effective working relationships with partner agencies such as the Police and Fire were outstanding in the trust's resilience service. This service incorporates 2 of England's dedicated hazardous area response teams, which comprise of paramedics with special training to provide care in the event of a major incident such as a terrorist attack.

In the Emergency Operations Centres, CQC found that staff demonstrated compassion, kindness and respect towards callers and patients, including those in mental health crisis.

Alongside ratings for the trust's core functions, CQC asked:- 'is the service well led, safe, effective, caring and responsive?' NWAS was rated:- 'good' in all areas which means inspectors found evidence that safety and leadership at the trust had improved since its last inspection in 2016.

Improvements in the culture of the organisation were recognised with CQC finding that NWAS staff overall felt valued and listened to and had a staff voice in the organisation.

Interim Chief Executive, Michael Forrest, said:- "We are delighted with a 'good' rating from the Care Quality Commission 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.  CQC said that our staff are proud to work for the organisation, and we're extremely proud of them too! We are thrilled 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 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."

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.

Exclusive pre-apprenticeship programme launches in Liverpool City Region

WORKING in partnership with the University of Liverpool and 1 Ark, St Helens College along with Knowsley Community College, are set to launch an exciting new pre-apprenticeship programme that is aimed at young people aged 16 to 17.

This unique opportunity, offering only 10 coveted places, is designed to prepare young people for an apprenticeship across a wide variety of departments at the University of Liverpool, such as human resources, teaching laboratories, IT, security, finance and academic faculties.

The 6 month programme will take place from 25 February 2019 to 23 August 2019 and is suitable for those who have, or are expected to achieve, GCSE grades 2 or 3 in their English and maths.

Successful applicants will spend 1 day a week at College, working towards achieving a level 1 or level 2 qualification in functional skills plus a certificate in employability, and the remaining 4 days, will be based in the workplace, earning ₤152.25 per week including 12 paid holidays and bank holidays.

A shining example of success is apprentice Patsy, who after starting her journey with the University of Liverpool's Pre-Apprenticeship Programme in their student services department, went on to secure an impressive full time business administration apprenticeship with Knowsley Community College.

Patsy said:- "When I finished school, I started to look at my options and came across the pre-apprenticeship programme. I gained so much valuable experience and knowledge of working in an administration environment and it was perfect for me as I got to spend 4 days a week in the workplace and 1 day at College, which was my preferred way of learning."

Commenting on the programme, Head of External Partnerships and Training Delivery at the University of Liverpool, Steve Plant, said:- "The University of Liverpool's exciting Pre-Apprenticeship Programme has seen many successes over the last 5 years, helping individuals from the Liverpool City Region gain paid work experience and qualifications to enable them to progress into an apprenticeship and into full time employment. This programme really does make a difference to young people's lives for which the University, St Helens College and Knowsley Community College should be very proud of."

If you are interested in applying to the Pre-Apprenticeship Programme or know someone who is, please call:- 0151 795 8046 or visit:- StHelens.AC.UK.