UK's biggest ambulance service to be placed in special measures

The UK's biggest ambulance service is to become the first in the country to be placed in special measures.

Inspectors found a culture of bullying and major problems with poor ambulance response times at the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS).

England's Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said he was recommending LAS be put in special measures as it was a necessary step for improvement.

A wide range of problems were uncovered at the trust, including:

  • The worst response time in the country to urgent calls

  • Widespread bullying and harassment

  • Some black and ethnic minority staff feel "humiliated" and "ignored" by managers

  • Late shift crews sometimes found vehicles short of supplies

  • Dirty equipment at ambulance stations

  • A lack of staff training

  • Poor leadership

  • Staff sickness rate above average since May 2014

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), which inspected LAS, said a large number of frontline staff were "demoralised".

"Most ambulance crews told us the organisation was a good place to work in the past, but now they felt unsupported by the service and were forced to work with a new rota system which was very demanding with little or no rest between shifts," the CQC said. "This had also increased the number of days they were working overall.

"Bullying and harassment was a major concern for the organisation. Several frontline ambulance staff perceived that they were bullied by managers, and an independent, external review into bullying and harassment in the organisation found that the problem was widespread."

Sir Mike said action was needed to put the problems right.

Professor Sir Mike Richards recommended the move. Credit: PA

"Urgent steps are being taken - and improvements have already been made - to ensure that everyone who relies on this service receives excellent, timely care and that London has the ambulance service it deserves," he said.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said the news was "predictable" and a "shocking indictment of the lack of funding that has gone to the ambulance service over the last five years".

GMB national officer Rehana Azam blamed staff shortages for the situation, saying: "Existing staff have had to shoulder more responsibility as crews are not well resourced with adequate numbers on each shift whilst responding to 999 calls across the capital."

Shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander said Londoners had been "badly let down"

"The Government needs to now work with the service to deliver an urgent and marked improvement in the standard of care being provided," said Ms Alexander.