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A private ambulance provider has been banned from operating after an inspection found it unable to provide "safe and effective care".

KFA Medical Ltd based in Keighley, West Yorkshire, offered services including paramedic care and patient transport.

Its services were suspended in January after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found failings in patient safety.

A second inspection in June found equipment and premises were "dirty" and there was no mandatory staff training.

As a result KFA Medical has been banned from operating and is no longer legally allowed to provide services.

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A report of the June inspection, , also highlighted issues around infection control and poor leadership and said staff lacked the skills to "keep patients safe from avoidable harm"

Sarah Dronsfield, head of hospital inspection for the CQC said: "When CQC visited KFA Medical Ltd, we found a service that wasn't providing the safe and effective care that people using its service should be able to expect.

"We have been working with the provider since their suspension in January, however when we carried out this inspection, we found the provider had been unable to implement and sustain the necessary improvements to assure us that people were receiving safe care."

She added: "It was concerning that staff did not have the appropriate skills and training to keep people safe from avoidable harm."

Ms Dronsfield said it should send a "clear message" to providers of independent health and care services that it will always take patient safety seriously.

The CQC said the company made 6,477 patient transport journeys between April 2020 and January 2021.

KFA Medical has been approached for comment.

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