An ambulance worker apprenticeship provider has been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted after inspectors found learners make “slow progress” due to “busy shift patterns” amid “weak” oversight by management.
Nerams, based in the north east England, had 22 level 3 ambulance support worker apprentices when Ofsted visited in June this year, less than a year after inspectors spotted several “weaknesses” during a monitoring visit.
The company is one of several subcontractors providing 999 ambulance and patient transport vehicles and crew to the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.
Ofsted’s report, published today, graded the company as ‘inadequate’ in overall effectiveness after finding many apprentices are “significantly” past their planned completion date due to a lack of teaching after initial training and schedules dominated by “busy shift patterns”.
Nerams was given the lowest possible grade for quality of education, leadership and management, and apprenticeships. However, it was rated ‘good’ for behaviour and attitudes of learners and ‘requires improvement’ for personal development.
According to conditions set out in the apprenticeship provider contract, the inspection grade means the Department for Education may now use its “absolute discretion” to take a range of measures including terminating Nerams’ contract, recovering payments, suspending learner starts or imposing other “additional contract obligations”.
In its report, Ofsted said management do not have “an accurate oversight” of the quality of education provided, with “weak” governance and quality assurance processes that “solely” focus on whether trainers are assessing apprentices against the apprenticeship standards.
The report said: “Apprentices do not benefit from an effectively planned curriculum beyond the initial training that they receive at the start of the course. They do not routinely receive training beyond this initial phase.
“As a result, apprentices depend heavily on the training they have at work to develop new knowledge and skills and have insufficient opportunities outside of work to consolidate and deepen their theoretical understanding.”
A recent “in-depth review” has improved the company’s understanding of apprentices’ progress, which is not reviewed “frequently enough”, but it is “too soon to see the impact”, the report added.
Apprentices’ work is also “rarely of the expected standard” as it frequently “lacks coherence, structure and the detail and the depth required”.
Trainers fail to provide “clear and timely” feedback to assignments and on the “rare” occasions feedback is provided, apprentices do not use it to improve their work.
Funding of up to £7,000 is available for the level 3 ambulance support worker apprenticeship standard, which has a typical duration of 13 months.
Ofsted’s report said Nerams teachers are “suitably qualified” and “skilled” at training in the initial training phase. They also praised apprentices’ “professional” and “positive” attitudes to learning and progressing in their careers.
The company is one of 18 organisations providing patient transport, unscheduled care, and double-crewed ambulances to North East Ambulance Service through a subcontracting framework worth up to £82 million between 2025 and 2029.
Dean Wrightson, Nerams’ director of operations, said the company acknowledges Ofsted’s findings and takes its feedback seriously.
He added: “While the inspection outcome is disappointing, it reinforces our own internal findings that led to mitigations and rapid improvement plans already put in place by the organisation prior to the inspection.
“We recognise the concerns highlighted in the report, particularly regarding the slow progress of apprentices and need for more frequent reviews and guided learning.
“These findings aligned with our own, which led to the removal of the management overseeing this provision and their replacement, with a rapid quality improvement plan put in place focused on ensuring the achievement of the learners.
“We are proud of our apprentices’ professionalism, their commitment to patient care, and the positive feedback from workplace settings regarding their conduct and values.
“We will continue to work with the Department for Education and Ofsted in relation to quality improvement, appropriate mitigations and scrutiny to ensure we are doing as we say we will do.”
A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson declined to comment on the Ofsted report.
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