Gloucestershire Hospitals welcomes CQC reports

The CQC has also published the two inspection reports into Maternity at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Stroud Maternity Hospital (September 2025) alongside the report for Urgent and Emergency Care and Medicine, both at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital (December 2025).

At a glance summary of the new ratings

CQC Well-Led Assessment

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out a Well-Led Assessment of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust between 10 and 12 February 2026. Following the assessment, the Trust's Well-Led rating improved to Good, resulting in an overall Trust rating of Good.

The assessment recognised the significant progress made by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in leadership, culture, governance and quality improvement, confirming that the organisation is on a positive trajectory and providing a strong foundation for continued improvement.

CQC Maternity Report Gloucestershire Royal Hospital (September 2025)

The CQC found evidence that maternity services had improved since the previous inspection and acknowledged progress against a number of the conditions that had been implemented following the 2024 inspection.

The report recognises that the overall rating for maternity services has improved from Inadequate to Requires Improvement, reflecting progress made by the Trust in strengthening services for women, babies and families.

Women's care reflected current evidence-based practice, staff treated women with compassion, and women were actively involved in decisions about their care. However, the CQC noted concerns in relation to safety when they visited in September 2025 and the Trust has already taken steps to improve the layout and staffing for the Triage area and in the reporting of incidents.

We acknowledge there is more work to do and we remain absolutely focused on delivering the highest standards of care for women, babies and families. We have a clear improvement programme in place and will continue working closely with staff, service users and system partners to build on the progress already achieved.

Maternity Stroud Maternity Hospital (September 2025)

The assessment found that maternity services have improved from Requires Improvement to Good, with improvements in both the Safe and Well-led domains since the previous inspection.

Inspectors highlighted the kindness and compassion shown by staff, the positive experiences reported by women and families, strong safeguarding arrangements, effective multidisciplinary working and the commitment of staff to providing personalised care. Women using the service described the care they received as "amazing", "supportive and well informed" and "second to none".

We are pleased that CQC has recognised the significant progress made by our maternity teams and that Stroud Maternity Hospital is now rated Good across all domains. This reflects the dedication, professionalism and compassion of our staff, who work every day to provide safe, personalised care for women and their families.

We are particularly pleased that women who spoke to inspectors described such positive experiences of care and support. We know, however, that improvement is a continuous process. We will use the findings of this report to build on our progress and continue strengthening maternity services across Gloucestershire.

Urgent and Emergency Care Cheltenham General Hospital (December 2025)

The report recognises the high standards of care being delivered, with Urgent and Emergency Services rated Good across all domains, reflecting the commitment, professionalism and dedication of colleagues working across the service.

The inspection took place in December 2025 and provides an assessment of the service at that time. Since then, teams have continued to focus on improvements that enhance patient safety, experience and quality of care.

Urgent and Emergency Services play a vital role in providing care to patients across Gloucestershire, often during periods of significant operational pressure. We are pleased that the report reflects the compassion, expertise and teamwork demonstrated by staff every day.

The inspection found a well-performing emergency department with a positive safety culture, good clinical outcomes and strong patient experience.

Areas requiring attention were largely operational rather than systemic and related to workforce sustainability and medicines governance. We remain committed to continuous improvement and will continue working closely with patients, staff and system partners to strengthen services and ensure the highest standards of care for our communities.

Urgent and Emergency Care Gloucestershire Royal Hospital (December 2025)

The report recognises the commitment and compassion shown by colleagues working in one of the Trust's busiest and most pressured services. While Urgent and Emergency Care was rated Requires Improvement overall, the inspection identified a number of strengths, particularly in caring, safeguarding, partnership working, staff engagement and the progress made in improving operational performance.

The inspection took place in December 2025 and reflects the position of the service at that time. The CQC acknowledged significant progress in a number of areas, most notably the reduction in ambulance handover delays, improvements in safety culture and stronger leadership visibility across the department.

Staff were described as compassionate and responsive, with patients reporting positive experiences despite the pressures facing the department. The report found evidence of a strong learning culture, effective safeguarding arrangements and a commitment to continuous improvement.

The main areas of concern related to crowding and corridor care in the department during busy periods. They highlighted that patients were at times cared for in non-designated clinical spaces, that environmental risks were not always adequately controlled and that governance arrangements had not consistently identified, escalated and mitigated some longstanding operational risks. The CQC also identified gaps in medicines management, infection prevention compliance and staffing resilience, particularly within some medical roles.

The CQC reflected that the Trust had already begun taking action to address many of these issues, including work to improve specialty response times through the Patient Pact, development of corridor care guidance, sepsis improvement initiatives, enhanced operational oversight and continued investment in quality improvement, simulation training and staff development programmes.

The report reflects an emergency department delivering compassionate care in exceptionally challenging circumstances. The CQC recognised clear progress in culture, leadership, ambulance handover performance, learning and patient experience, alongside staff who remained committed to providing high-quality care under sustained pressure.

The report presents a service with strong foundations and evidence of improvement, but one where further work is required to ensure improvements are sustained and embedded across all areas of practice.

Medical care (including older people's care) Gloucestershire Royal Hospital (December 2025)

The report recognises the high standards of care being delivered across Medical Services, which were rated Good overall. The findings reflect the professionalism, expertise and dedication of colleagues working across the medical division, who continue to deliver high-quality care despite significant operational pressures affecting the wider health and care system.

The inspection took place in December 2025 and provides an assessment of the service at that time. The CQC found many examples of effective multidisciplinary working, good patient outcomes and strong leadership. The service was praised for initiatives that support patient flow, including the Same Day Emergency Care service, discharge lounge and virtual wards, all of which help reduce unnecessary admissions and improve patient experience. The CQC also noted a positive safety culture, effective safeguarding arrangements and strong staffing oversight.

The inspection found that staff comprehensively assessed patients' physical and mental health needs, worked within a strong culture of evidence-based practice and collaborated effectively across disciplines to support continuity of care. The report also highlighted effective discharge planning, strong multidisciplinary team working and the use of innovative models of care such as virtual wards. These approaches were recognised as helping to improve patient outcomes, support safe discharge and reduce pressure on inpatient services.

The CQC found a well-run medical service delivering consistently good care despite ongoing operational pressures. Effective multidisciplinary working, discharge arrangements and virtual wards were highlighted as particular strengths.

The report identified concerns relating to elements of the care within an ageing hospital estate that created additional challenges in some clinical areas, including access to bathroom facilities and isolation accommodation.

The report acknowledges that action was already underway to address issues, including  investment in refurbishment of the Tower Block, ongoing support from the Infection Prevention and Control Team, regular medicines audits, strengthened governance arrangements and improvements to staffing levels and vacancy rates.

The CQC also recognised wider improvements in patient flow, mortality indicators, waiting times and discharge performance. The CQC found a service delivering effective, compassionate and patient-centred care, supported by strong multidisciplinary working, innovation and leadership.