Air ambulance charity rated 'outstanding'

An air ambulance service has been rated "outstanding" by a health watchdog after it was grounded over an administrative error.

The Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) was stood down on 31 January after the charity failed to meet a deadline for renewing a controlled drugs licence. It became fully operational on 11 February.

An independent regulator said it carried out an inspection of the service in July 2024 and returned in February to gather further evidence.

Rating the service for the first time, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) described LNAA as "safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led" and said the "overall rating is outstanding".

The service covers Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire and operates a helicopter to reach people involved in serious incidents in locations that are hard to reach by road.

In its report, the CQC said issues over LNAA's controlled drugs licence were resolved at the earliest opportunity.

"Arrangements had been made for the service to undertake a different level of service in consultation with the NHS ambulance service so it could continue with most emergency care," a spokesperson for the CQC said.

Charlotte Rudge, CQC's deputy director of operations in the midlands, said: "At this inspection, everyone we spoke to who had used the service shared positive feedback about their care and treatment.

"They told us that staff at Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance treated them as individuals and respected their decisions about care and treatment."

The report noted praise from the East Midlands Ambulance Service for LNAA's "prompt responses and effectiveness at the scene of incidents".

Karen Jobling, the chief executive of LNAA, said she was "immensely proud" of the outstanding rating, adding that it reflected on the teamwork across the organisation.

"We've had some bumpy times but we've come through that," she said.

"The CQC is completely happy how we've handled the issue of the past, reflecting in the report the fantastic work done by our crews."

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