THE ambulance service in North Somerset has been praised following an inspection by an independent health watchdog.

Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) was assessed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) over three days at hospitals across the South West and it met almost all the criteria that the regulations set out.

The report published this week praised paramedics for the care and attention it gives to its patients.

It said: “We saw that GWAS crews treated people with sensitivity and respect, using people’s first names and explaining what they were about to do before they did it.

“We also saw that crews made a point of saying goodbye to people they had brought in before they left for their next call.”

CQC had minor concerns over staff appraisals and health and safety audits. A GWAS spokesman said steps had already been taken to correct the small issues.

There were no concerns over patient care.

The trust’s chief executive, Ken Wenman, said the report was a credit to GWAS and its staff. He said: “Seeing the unanimously positive comments about our staff from patients and other healthcare organisations is very welcome, but not surprising.

“In the short time I have been with GWAS, I have seen the absolute commitment of all staff to doing their very best for the many hundreds of patients we help on a daily basis.”