The Air Ambulance Service plays a vital role in saving lives in Warwickshire, Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland.

But, behind every mission, there sits a network of compliance, governance, and quality processes that keep the service safe and accountable.

For years, those processes relied heavily on spreadsheets and email chains. Each incident or risk was logged manually, collated into reports, and circulated between teams.

This made it difficult to spot patterns or track outstanding actions, and time was lost chasing updates. Without a joined-up view, there was the potential for gaps in oversight that could even affect the charity’s CQC rating.

We spoke to Louise Avery, Quality Manager, about her journey towards a better, more centralised compliance system.

“Before Vantage, we were working out of spreadsheets and chasing each other for updates. It was too easy for issues to sit in someone’s inbox. We didn’t always have a clear overview, and that made it harder to demonstrate compliance.”

Configured to Their Workflows, From Day One

When The Air Ambulance Service looked for a technological solution, configurability was the priority.

Some products on the market looked polished but offered rigid templates. For Louise, that wasn’t good enough. “What stood out with Vantage was how configurable the system is,” she said. “Other providers wanted us to fit their process. With Vantage, we could shape the system around our workflows.”

Vantage began with a series of workshops to understand the charity’s environment, risks, and existing processes. From there, they configured the system to match, rather than forcing change onto the teams. Incident Management and Risk Management modules were introduced first, with Audit Management planned as the next step in their journey.

This configurability has been especially valuable for incident reporting. Instead of filling in a generic form, staff now answer tailored questions specific to an air ambulance service.

Each submission is automatically routed to the right person for review without the need to manually pass around a spreadsheet.

From Manual Collation to Click-Ready Insight

One of the biggest frustrations for Louise and her colleagues was reporting. Senior management meetings required hours of preparation: finding data, copying from one sheet to another, checking figures, and building presentations.

Now, reports and dashboards are available at the click of a button. In a meeting, leaders can open the dashboard and see live statistics, from the number of incidents logged to the status of risk actions.

“With Vantage, our reports are ready in seconds, not hours,” said Louise. “We no longer spend time pulling the data together. Instead, we can spend that time interpreting the results, identifying trends, and deciding what action to take.”

As a result, the burden of admin has dropped significantly, freeing time for managers to focus on improvement. At the same time, the visibility of live data means issues are spotted earlier and trends are acted upon before they escalate.

Alerts, Ownership, and Accountability Built In

Beyond reporting, Vantage has given the service a much clearer view of who is responsible for each action. Configurable workflows send automatic alerts to the right people as soon as an incident is logged, removing the risk of delay.

“The system adapts to what we need from it. It’s removed admin, made it clear who owns what, and as a result given us confidence that we’re on top of it.”

That accountability is particularly important to The Air Ambulance Service, as any delays can have serious implications. By routing tasks automatically, the Vantage system has removed the uncertainty and lag that often came with email-based processes.

A Partnership That Continues After Go-Live

For The Air Ambulance Service, the relationship with Vantage hasn’t ended with go-live. As their needs evolve, the system evolves with them.

“Vantage didn’t set it up and disappear,” Louise says. “They keep shaping the system with us. When we realise there’s a better way to capture data or route an action, they adapt it. It feels like a partnership.”

That ongoing support has given Louise confidence that the system will continue to deliver value long-term, rather than becoming another static tool.

Results That Strengthen Compliance

The Air Ambulance Service has seen clear benefits since implementing Vantage:

  • Reports and dashboards available instantly, rather than through manual collation.
  • Significant time savings on admin, freeing quality teams for strategic work.
  • Improved visibility, allowing proactive trend analysis and earlier interventions.
  • Greater confidence in compliance, with automatic alerts ensuring nothing is missed.

And their journey doesn’t end here. The Air Ambulance Service is preparing to roll out Vantage’s Audit Management module, giving them the same visibility and accountability for audits as they now have for incidents and risks.

Considering a better way to manage risk, incidents, and audits? See how Vantage can fit your workflows. Book a short walkthrough.