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P2-34

Recommendations apply to independent ambulances

Fuller Inquiry · Fuller Inquiry Phase 2 Report · Issued 15 July 2025 · Addressed to: Department of Health and Social Care

Government responseDepartment of Health and Social Care: Accepted (Dec 2025)

DeliveryDepartment of Health and Social Care says in progress (Jun 2026)

Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry

●Inquiry recommendation

The Inquiry has focused its investigations into ambulance services on NHS ambulance services. However, the Inquiry considers that these recommendations could also be applied to independent ambulance services, including private ambulances.

Fuller Inquiry, Fuller Inquiry Phase 2 Report · 15 Jul 2025 Source PDF →

Published evidence summary

AI-generated evidence summary

The Department of Health and Social Care recorded the recommendation as in progress in June 2026, noting that the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives had alerted the Independent Ambulance Association to the recommendations (Department of Health and Social Care, Jun 2026). It stated that independent ambulance services commissioned under NHS contracts must comply with relevant NHS policies and procedures (Department of Health and Social Care, Jun 2026). For providers operating outside NHS contracts where this requirement does not apply, the department explained that the association had committed to advocate for implementation across the wider sector, noting that it holds no regulatory authority (Department of Health and Social Care, Jun 2026).

AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.

Government response

●Department of Health and Social Care · Accepted · 16 Dec 2025

Words of: Department of Health and Social Care, Interim update on government progress in responding to the Fuller inquiry phase 2 report, 16 December 2025

AACE has made the Independent Ambulance Association (IAA) aware of the inquiry recommendations. Where ambulance services have contractual agreements with independent ambulance services, those commissioned services must comply with the relevant NHS policies and procedures.

This requirement does not apply where independent ambulance providers operate outside of NHS contracts. For these providers, IAA has committed to advocate for the implementation of recommendations among its members and the wider sector, noting that IAA does not hold regulatory authority.

Extract from: Interim update on government progress in responding to the Fuller inquiry phase 2 report

Site note: This is the Department of Health and Social Care's interim update on government progress in responding to the phase 2 report, published on 16 December 2025. It sorts the 75 recommendations into those the government has accepted in full (11), accepted in principle (43) and is still considering (21), and gives words of its own only on the 11 accepted in full. Every word is the Department's, so the rows are filed under it, including where the passage reports what another body has done.

Site note: The recommendation is addressed to the Department itself.

Delivery

●Department of Health and Social Care says in progress · 16 Jun 2026

The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) has made the Independent Ambulance Association (IAA) aware of the Inquiry recommendations. Where ambulance services have contractual agreements with independent ambulance services, those commissioned services must comply with relevant NHS policies and procedures. This requirement does not apply where independent ambulance providers operate outside of NHS contracts. For these providers, the IAA has committed to advocate for the implementation of recommendations among its members and the wider sector, noting the IAA does not hold regulatory authority.

From: Fuller Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard

Site note: The source names this recommendation by number.

How this page is built

The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.