Isle Of Wight Ambulance Service Upgraded To ‘Good’ By Health Watchdog

The Isle of Wight Ambulance Service has been rated ‘Good’ across all three of its inspected services after improvements were recognised by the Care Quality Commission.

Inspectors visited in February to assess urgent and emergency care, the emergency operations centre and patient transport services.

The emergency operations centre and patient transport service have both been upgraded from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’, while urgent and emergency care has retained its overall ‘Good’ rating.

Inspectors highlighted improvements in ambulance response times, with the average response to the most serious Category 1 calls falling from ten minutes in November 2025 to eight minutes.

The CQC also praised staff for treating patients with dignity, respect and compassion, as well as the service's partnership working and focus on learning and innovation.

At the emergency operations centre, inspectors found staff provided what they described as “outstanding support” to people in distress.

They also highlighted the Island's network of community first responders, who can provide potentially lifesaving treatment while ambulance crews are travelling to patients, particularly in more remote areas.

Patient transport staff were praised for going beyond simply transporting people, including making patients a cup of tea or turning on their heating to ensure they were safely settled after arriving home.

Inspectors also found the service had arrangements with ferry operators to help patients reach specialist treatment on the mainland and tailored its care to support people living with dementia.

Victoria White, Director of Isle of Wight Ambulance Service, said: “I am incredibly proud that the hard work and dedication of our teams has been recognised by the CQC.

“We have made substantial progress over recent years to ensure patients receive safe, compassionate, and patient-centred care, and I know the positive feedback our staff and volunteers received during this inspection will mean a great deal to them.

“We also recognise that improvement is an ongoing journey and will continue listening to our teams, acting on feedback wherever we can.”

Penny Emerit, Chief Executive of Isle of Wight NHS Trust and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, said the Island having a locally based ambulance service integrated with its acute hospital was a “unique strength”.

She added: “Everyone involved in achieving these improved ratings should be incredibly proud of their contribution.”

Steve Thomas, Chief Nursing Officer at the two trusts, said the CQC had recognised “substantial improvements” including stronger leadership, safer care and better outcomes for patients.

The CQC's full inspection report is due to be published on its website in the coming days.