Northamptonshire ambulance trust told to improve as questions raised over safety

Inspectors have questioned the safety of an ambulance trust after telling bosses it required improvement.

East Midlands Ambulance Trust, which serves Northamptonshire, was assessed by the Care Quality Commission at the end of last year.

In a report published by the CQC today, it was given an overall rating of "requires improvement" with safety deemed inadequate.

Concerns were also raised about leadership and the effectiveness of services at the trust while care and responsiveness were rated good.

Many of the problems were due to problems recruiting and keeping hold of staff.

Inspectors also found holes in training for staff, the storage of medicines and patient records, and the standards of cleaning.

Delays at hospital emergency departments also delayed ambulance crews which affected the trust's ability to respond to calls and meet targets.

Today, East Midlands Ambulance Services' acting chief executive Richard Henderson said the CQC had recognised the passion and commitment of its staff and the efforts being made by the trust to address problems.

But he said many of those challenges were down to a lack of resources.

He sought to reassure patients.

To read the full report, click here.