Your Experience

When you call 999, our aim is to provide you with care that meets your clinical need, which is delivered by the most appropriate clinician and is provided at a location that is most suitable to you and the wider healthcare community.

At times, conveyance may often be the most appropriate care pathway (for example, if you have complex clinical or mental health needs). However, in line with the satutory ambulance services current strategy which aims to support referrals to the most appropriate care provider, whether this is to the patients GP, a minor injuries unit, a walk-in centre or mental health facility. Alternatively the provider of care may be brought to the patient through the use of specialist nursing teams like community matrons, district nurses, out of hours services or other specialist providers.

We have several enquiries regarding lost personal items that are subsequently found. In the first instance, please could you check all your pockets, bags and other receptacles for your missing items?

If you travel in an ambulance, any items you have with you will usually be handed over to the staff at the receiving unit. We would recommend checking with the hospital department you attended whether they have found your items.

If you have a lost property enquiry for Spark Medical, please contact our team using the form in our Contact Us or call 0151 808 0770

Frontline ambulances are very specialist and very complex vehicles. They carry essential items of clinical and diagnostic equipment that can provide life-saving treatment to patients and also transmit ‘real time’ information to the hospitals regarding a patient’s condition. Vehicles also require advanced tracking and mobile data technologies to ensure ambulances can be on scene within minutes of a 999 call. All this equipment requires significant power from the batteries on board. Failure to keep these batteries fully charged can result in equipment not working correctly or at worst shutting down which may pose a significant threat to lives. In order to keep the battery charged the vehicle must be left running during some periods of rest.

Ambulance engines may also be left running to ensure the patient compartment, medications and equipment remain at a regulated temperature. In many cases patients are on board requiring urgent medical attention. During this time regulated power supply to all medical and diagnostic equipment is critical. Turning the engine off may result in a break to the real-time diagnostic information feed into the hospital or vital patient life support systems failing.

Vehicles can often be seen idling on the roadside or at a scene for the reasons identified above. If a power supply is not available regular charging is required by keeping the engine running. Idling also allows for a rapid departure from a scene. Lastly, in cold weather, leaving an ambulance running allows the diesel engine to operate more efficiently. When vehicle are on station, vehicles do not need to run their engines as they are plugged into charging units that ensure the vehicle maintains a state of readiness.

Spark Medical Limited is committed to continuously reducing its carbon footprint and regularly reviews systems and practices to ensure this happens more information can be found here

The decision on which hospital you go to is based on multiple factors, including (but not limited to) your current condition, your current location or the pressures faced by the local hospitals. There are many specialist hospitals which deal with very specific conditions, so if you meet the criteria for these hospitals, you will be taken there to ensure you receive the best possible care for your condition. If your condition does not require specialist care, but you are in need of life saving emergency treatment, you will always be taken to your nearest emergency department. If your local hospital is experiencing an increase in demand and you need hospital treatment for a condition which is not immediately life threatening, you may be taken to an alternative hospital to ensure you are seen as quickly as possible.

In line with the NHS Standard Contract, Spark Medical Limited has adopted the new national Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF). The framework sets out how we will learn from patient safety events to provide better and safer outcomes for our staff and patients.

Please contact patientexperience@sparkmedical.co.uk to report a serious incident or complaint.