A MAJOR inspection of ambulance services has found they are the best in the country.

The South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, which provides emergency responses services in Reading is the first ambulance trust rated ‘good’ by the healthcare watchdog.

The Care Quality Commission launched an inspection in May, visiting 20 ambulance station, air ambulance sites, 10 acute hospitals and organisational centres.

Will Hancock, chief executive of the trust, said: “I am delighted to report that our service has been rated as ‘good’ overall.

“This is fabulous news for our organisation as we are the first and only ambulance trust to get a ‘good’ rating across ambulance trusts in England.

“I would like to thank our caring and professional staff for all their hard work and dedication.”

They have been left with areas to improve, including the safety of patient transports and the effectiveness of emergency and urgent care services.

However, the transport service’s caring staff were singled out for praise.

Prof Edward Baker, deputy chief inspector of hospitals in the South, said: “The trust has a clear vision to co-ordinate its services so that people receive the right care at the right time – including care closer to home.

“While we found that staff were proud to work for the organisation, there were pressures on the service which were affecting staff morale.

“The trust is affected by the national shortage of paramedics, and many staff have been working long hours, some without breaks.

“Through no fault of the ambulance services, its vehicles are often facing prolonged delays at some acute hospitals’ emergency departments.

“For people needing an urgent response, the consequences can be serious.

“At the time of our inspection the average time to respond to emergency calls was worse than the national average and the trust had some of the longest call waiting times, three seconds over the national average. We will continue to monitor the trust’s performance.”

The service cares for more than four million people across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire.