The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued a formal warning to the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) after identifying serious failures in staffing levels, response times, and patient safety.
The ambulance service, which covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk, was rated as “requires improvement” during its last inspection in 2022.
However, the latest review revealed that the trust has failed to make significant progress, leading to further action from the health watchdog.
The CQC’s warning notice highlighted key areas where the service is falling short, including inadequate staffing levels, delays in call response times, poor management of clinical waste, and failure to keep mandatory staff training up to date.
Additionally, inspectors found that staff felt undervalued and unsupported, while the trust was slow to act on feedback to improve services.
Shocking figures revealed that response times for life-threatening category one calls had worsened by nearly 20% over the past year.
Meanwhile, only 21% of ambulances responding to less urgent category four calls arrived within the target time of three hours.
In response to the warning, the CQC now has the power to impose strict conditions on the trust or even suspend its registration if improvements are not made. Failure to comply with the requirements could result in criminal charges.
Neill Moloney, Chief Executive of EEAST, apologised for the service’s shortcomings and insisted that rapid improvements have already been made.
“Our patients expect and deserve high-quality care. I am sorry that we have not always met this expectation. However, we have taken immediate steps to address the issues raised by the CQC,” he said.
The trust stated that improvements have been made to strengthen the handling of controlled drugs and enhance staff training programmes. Efforts are also being made to improve the overall working culture within the service.
Despite these promises, the CQC will closely monitor the trust’s progress, with further inspections expected in the coming months.
