The Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) has received an 'outstanding' rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an unannounced inspection last year.

An inspector's report, following the inspection on 24 August 2023 at the service's operating base at Coventry Airport, commended the service in particular for its commitment to safety, care and leadership.

"People were truly respected and valued as individuals and are empowered as partners in their care, practically and emotionally," the report said.

"Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions.

"They provided emotional support to patients, families and carers."

The service, operated by The Air Ambulance Service (TAAS), operates across a geographical area of around 3,850m² and completes around 10 missions by helicopter each day with an average response time of around 13 minutes.

Inspectors found the service's leaders strive for "continuous learning, improvement and innovation".

Commenting on the report, TAAS Chief Operating Officer, Richard Clayton said: "I am absolutely delighted by the CQC's overall rating of our WNAA service, especially as this is our first rating, and it follows an overall 'Outstanding' rating of our Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance service late last year.

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"The published report is a great reflection on a lot of hard work by the entire operations team, and wider charity, who work tirelessly to provide exceptional patient care in often very challenging situations.

"Our ethos is to continuously drive and enhance the delivery of high-quality person-centred pre-hospital emergency medicine and critical care, and this report not only validates that, but supports our belief that we are doing the very best for our patients – as they are the driving force behind everything we do.

"It's fantastic that the inspectors were able to see and articulate the passion and commitment that exists within everyone across the wider charity, we can only achieve reports like this because of everyone's hard work, everyone involved should be immensely proud."

See the full report here.