Watchdog upgrades ambulance service

South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) has been upgraded by the health watchdog, although issues remain.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said Secamb's emergency and urgent care service, alongside its emergency operations centre, had gone from "requires improvement" to "good", following inspections in September and November 2025.

But it added overall management of the service's urgent and emergency care service still needed improving.

Secamb, which provides ambulance services to Brighton & Hove, East and West Sussex, Kent, Surrey, and North East Hampshire, said the improved ratings were a sign of progress.

The upgrade comes after CQC found Secamb was breaching regulations relating to safe care and treatment, staffing and management.

CQC's Amanda Williams said the service had made "significant improvements" since then.

She said people had told inspectors staff were kind, respectful and made them feel safe.

And leaders, she said, fostered a "positive learning culture" where managers investigated incidents and shared what was learned with staff.

However, there were areas which still needed improvement.

Williams said: "Staff described an ongoing disconnect between senior leaders and frontline teams, who didn't feel fully included in decision-making.

"Staff wellbeing can impact the standard of care people receive so it's important leaders address this.

"We also found some concerns with the systems leaders had in places to monitor and make decisions about the services and we've told them where these need to be more robust."

Secamb said it recognised there was more to do to strengthen its service.

It said it was committed to improving the relationship between leaders and frontline staff.

The trust's interim boss, Jen Allan, said the changes were a reflection of colleagues' hard work.

She said: "The improvements are making a real difference for patients and communities and reflect the direction of our clinically-led strategy, which is helping us build a stronger, more responsive service focused on ensuring patients get the right care for their needs, first time.

"This is a positive step forward but we know there is still more to do.

"We are determined to build on our progress so that our teams are given everything they need to consistently provide the high-quality of service our patients deserve."

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