Ambulance hygiene report

Yesterday, Audlem Online said it would publish the report by Care Quality Commission following its inspection of NWAS ambulances. While we covered the key points of this story on 13th August, we have since been sent the entire report. This can be accessed by clicking on the link below the photograph.

Regular readers will know that a number of serious issues about the management of the ambulance service have been raised in rural south Cheshire. The reduction in the level of training of first responders and poor response times led to a protest march in Nantwich last year.

There is now the survey on ambulances and first responders in Audlem, Buerton, Dodcott cum Wilkesley and Hankelow, conducted by the four parish councils. We understand that large numbers of people are returning the completed questionnaires.

HygieneThe report by the Commission raises a different issue – hygiene. Inspections revealed the North West Ambulance Service is putting patients at risk of infection with dirty vehicles and poor training. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) looked at 22 NWAS ambulances and found nine were "in a very poor condition with visible dirt".

The report added: "The remaining 13 were not found to have been cleaned to a good standard; all had some areas of dirt in the interior of the ambulance. It was clear from the level of dirt these vehicles were not cleaned on a frequent basis. All crew reported that none of the vehicles we inspected had had a deep clean in the past year or more."

This report reveals why there are so many concerns about the management of the NWAS and why local representatives are campaigning so hard to persuade the service's management to improve the service and give greater support to hard working staff and volunteers.

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