The ambulance service in the South West has been praised in a new report, with one patient labelling it "first class".
The wide-ranging assessment by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), carried out in January, was based on visits to hospital accident and emergency and outpatient departments, as well as four South West Ambulance Service Foundation Trust (SWASFT) premises in Dorset, Somerset and Devon.
The unannounced inspection found the ambulance service met five standards, with no areas of concern or recommendations, and also included comments from patients and staff.
In the trust's west division, which covers Devon and Cornwall, one patient described the service as "absolutely first class" and described staff as "calm and reassuring".
Another patient described the service "as everything you could want it to be".
SWASFT chief executive Ken Wenman said: "Overall, these are very positive reports that acknowledge the superb work done on a daily basis by ambulance service staff. Seeing the unanimously positive comments about our staff from patients and other healthcare organisations is very welcome – but not surprising, as I see the absolute commitment of all staff to doing their very best for the many hundreds of patients we help every day."
The CQC report said all patients and relatives inspectors had spoken to were "very complimentary" about the service.
It also said staff were "professional" and demonstrated how they treated patients with "respect and dignity".
It observed that one member of staff said "we listen to the patient. It's drummed in. We explain what we're going to do and keep the family up to date".
The report made only minor observations for areas which the trust could consider improving, such as unclean sink areas in the sluice rooms of two ambulance stations that were visited that were missed in a monthly audit.
Mr Wenman added: "Observations by the CQC inspectors on minor improvements are also valuable as there are always areas where we can and should look to do better.
"The safety and welfare of our patients and staff are at the heart of everything we do as an organisation. These regular, rigorous CQC inspections are important safeguards in reassuring the public that we remain committed to providing the highest quality care to the people we serve."
Included in the inspectors' visit were Paignton, Dawlish, Totnes, Exeter and Exmouth ambulance stations, as well as the Derriford Training College in Plymouth and trust HQ in Exeter.
Patients and staff at Torquay Hospital, Royal Devon and Exeter and MTU were also interviewed.
The CQC is the independent regulator of all health and social care services in England.
