The Best and Worst Rated NHS Hospitals in England, According to CQC Data

A new study shows that almost half of NHS hospitals in England are currently performing below standard, having been rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ or ‘Inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Medical negligence specialists, Patient Claim Line, crunched the numbers to reveal the worst NHS hospitals in England, as well as any concerns raised by inspectors.

With the NHS being such a crucial focal point for the government, the Patient Claim Line team decided to analyse NHS hospitals only (not independent/private hospitals). Although it is worth noting that the Barkantine Birth Centre referenced in this article is a midwifery-led unit, not a hospital.

Key findings:

• 49% of NHS hospitals in England are performing below standard, having been rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ or ‘Inadequate’.
• Only 8% of NHS hospitals were rated ‘Outstanding’, which is defined as “performing exceptionally well”.
• 44% of NHS hospitals in England were rated as ‘Good’, which means they are “performing well and meeting expectations”.
• The areas with the worst performing NHS hospitals are London, Manchester and Sheffield.

Hospitals are assessed on five core categories: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. These evaluations determine the hospital’s overall rating, which can be ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’, ‘Requires Improvement’ or ‘Inadequate’. Here’s a look at the number of hospitals that fall into each of the categories:

Where are the worst rated NHS hospitals in England?

The hospitals rated ‘Inadequate’ by the CQC:

Concerns raised by CQC inspectors at the worst rated NHS hospitals in England

Hillingdon Hospital:

• Deterioration in infection prevention and control
• Inconsistencies in hand hygiene practice amongst staff
• Poor recognition of sepsis
• No assurance that high-risk patient groups were screened for MRSA at pre-admission

Hull Royal Infirmary’s maternity ward:

• Poor management of systems, processes and risks in the antenatal day unit/triage department
• Long delays in women being seen
• A chaotic environment which was not fit for purpose
• Poor communication between staff on different units
• Unkindness between staff

Blackpool Victoria Hospital’s urgent and emergency services unit:

• Chaotic environment
• Lack of oversight from the leadership team on risks

The 152 NHS hospitals in England rated as ‘Requires Improvement’

The hospitals rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ by the CQC:

• Airedale General Hospital – Keighley
• Alexandra Hospital – Redditch
• Arrowe Park Hospital – Wirral
• Ashford Hospital – Ashford
• Barking Birth Centre – Barking
• Barnet General Hospital – Barnet
• Basildon University Hospital – Basildon
• Bassetlaw District General Hospital – Worksop
• Broomfield Hospital – Chelmsford
• Castle Hill Hospital – Hull
• Central Middlesex Hospital – London
• Charing Cross Hospital – London
• Cheltenham General Hospital – Cheltenham
• Chesterfield Royal Hospital – Chesterfield
• Chorley and South Ribble Hospital – Chorley
• Clatterbridge Hospital – Wirral
• Colchester General Hospital – Colchester
• County Hospital – Stafford
• Croydon University Hospital – Croydon
• Crowborough Birthing Centre – Crowborough
• Cumberland Infirmary – Carlisle
• Derriford Hospital – Plymouth
• Dewsbury and District Hospital – Dewsbury
• Diana Princess of Wales Hospital – Grimsby
• Doncaster Royal Infirmary – Doncaster
• Dorset County Hospital – Dorchester
• Ealing Hospital – Southall
• Evesham Community Hospital – Evesham
• Fleetwood Hospital – Fleetwood
• Freeman Hospital – Newcastle Upon Tyne
• Furness General Hospital – Barrow in Furness
• George Eliot NHS Hospital – Nuneaton
• Glenfield Hospital – Leicester
• Gloucestershire Royal Hospital – Gloucester
• Great Western Hospital – Swindon
• Hammersmith Hospital – London
• Hannah House – Leeds
• Hemel Hempstead General Hospital – Hemel Hempstead
• Hinchingbrooke Hospital – Huntingdon
• Horton General Hospital – Banbury
• Inspire Neurocare – Worcester
• James Paget Hospital – Great Yarmouth
• Jessop Wing – Sheffield
• John Radcliffe Hospital – Oxford
• Kent and Canterbury Hospital – Canterbury
• Kettering General Hospital – Kettering
• King George Hospital – Ilford
• King’s College Hospital – London
• Leicester General Hospital – Leicester
• Leicester Royal Infirmary – Leicester
• Leighton Hospital – Crewe
• Lincoln County Hospital – Lincoln
• Lister Hospital – Stevenage
• Ludlow Community Hospital – Ludlow
• Luton and Dunstable Hospital – Luton
• Macclesfield District General Hospital – Macclesfield
• Maidstone Hospital – Maidstone
• Manchester Royal Infirmary – Manchester
• Manor Hospital – Walsall
• Medway Maritime Hospital – Gillingham
• Montagu Hospital – Mexborough
• Mount Gould Hospital – Plymouth
• Mount Vernon Cancer Centre – Northwood
• Mount Vernon Hospital – Northwood
• Musgrove Park Hospital – Taunton
• New Royal Liverpool Hospital – Liverpool
• Newham University Hospital – London
• Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital – Norwich
• North Devon District Hospital – Barnstaple
• North Manchester General Hospital – Manchester
• North Middlesex University Hospital – London
• Northampton General Hospital – Northampton
• Northwick Park Hospital – Harrow
• Northern General Hospital – Sheffield
• Ormskirk District General Hospital – Ormskirk
• Orpington Hospital – Orpington
• Peterborough City Hospital – Peterborough
• Pilgrim Hospital – Boston
• Pinderfields Hospital – Wakefield
• Poole Hospital – Poole
• Pontefract Hospital – Pontefract
• Princess Royal Hospital – Haywards Heath
• Princess Royal University Hospital – Orpington
• Queen Elizabeth Hospital – Birmingham
• Queen Elizabeth Hospital – London
• Queen Elizabeth II Hospital – Welwyn Garden City
• Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital – Margate
• Queen Mary’s Hospital – London
• Queen’s Hospital – Romford
• Queen’s Medical Centre – Nottingham
• Queens Hospital – Burton-on-Trent
• Rotherham General Hospital – Rotherham
• Royal Cornwall Hospital – Truro
• Royal Derby Hospital – Derby
• Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital – Exeter
• Royal Hallamshire Hospital – Sheffield
• Royal Lancaster Infirmary – Lancaster
• Royal Oldham Hospital – Oldham
• Royal Preston Hospital – Preston
• Royal Shrewsbury Hospital – Shrewsbury
• Royal South Hants Hospital – Southampton
• Royal Stoke University Hospital – Stoke-on-Trent
• Royal Sussex County Hospital – Brighton
• Royal United Hospital – Bath
• Royal Victoria Infirmary – Newcastle Upon Tyne
• Royal London Hospital – London
• Russells Hall Hospital – Dudley
• Salford Royal Hospital – Salford
• Saint Mary’s Hospital – Manchester
• Sandwell General Hospital – West Bromwich
• Scarborough Hospital – Scarborough
• Scunthorpe General Hospital – Scunthorpe
• South Tyneside District Hospital – South Shields
• Southampton General Hospital – Southampton
• Southend University Hospital – Westcliff-on-Sea
• Southport and Formby District General Hospital – Southport
• St Albans City Hospital – St Albans
• St Austell Hospital, Penrice Birthing Unit – St Austell
• St George’s Hospital – London
• St James’s University Hospital – Leeds
• St Mary’s Hospital – London
• St Peter’s Hospital – Chertsey
• St Richard’s Hospital – Chichester
• Stepping Hill Hospital – Stockport
• Stroud Maternity Hospital – Stroud
• Sunderland Royal Hospital – Sunderland
• The Countess of Chester Hospital – Chester
• The County Hospital – Hereford
• The Ipswich Hospital – Ipswich
• The Princess Alexandra Hospital – Harlow
• The Princess Royal Hospital – Telford
• The Queen Elizabeth Hospital – Kings Lynn
• The Royal Free Hospital – London
• The Tunbridge Wells Hospital – Tunbridge Wells
• Torbay Hospital – Torquay
• University College Hospital and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing – London
• University Hospital Aintree – Liverpool
• University Hospital Lewisham – London
• University Hospital of Hartlepool – Hartlepool
• University Hospital of North Tees – Stockton-on-Tees
• Victoria Infirmary – Northwich
• Watford General Hospital – Watford
• West Cumberland Hospital – Whitehaven
• West Suffolk Hospital – Bury St Edmunds
• Westmorland General Hospital – Kendal
• Weston Park Hospital – Sheffield
• Whipps Cross University Hospital – London
• William Harvey Hospital – Ashford
• Worcestershire Royal Hospital – Worcester
• Worthing Hospital – Worthing
• Wythenshawe Hospital – Manchester
• Yeovil District Hospital – Yeovil

Crucial time for the Care Quality Commission

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said: “When I joined the department, it was already clear that the NHS was broken and the social care system in crisis”. He added, “But I have been stunned by the extent of the failings of the institution that is supposed to identify and act on failings. It’s clear to me the CQC is not fit for purpose”.

The health secretary’s comments follow damning findings of an interim report into the state of the English healthcare regulator, CQC. A senior NHS leader also stated that the health regulator should rethink its one-word ratings system for hospitals following damning criticism of the watchdog.

But critics say that the CQC’s inspections and ratings are reflective of the poor standard of the NHS hospitals in England.

NHS leaders have cautioned Labour that additional funding is essential in the October Budget to address a £3 billion deficit in the health service.

Sir Keir Starmer has been warned that without increased financial support for hospitals, NHS waiting lists will keep expanding and standards will slip.

With a new government and a possible reform of England’s independent regulator of health and social care – all eyes are on the future of NHS services.

Where are the best rated NHS hospitals in England?

• Chelsea and Westminster Hospital – London, Greater London
• Conquest Hospital – St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex
• Dental Hospital of Manchester – Manchester, Greater Manchester
• Dental Hospital of Newcastle – Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
• East Surrey Hospital – Redhill, Surrey
• Fairfield General Hospital – Bury, Greater Manchester
• Frimley Park Hospital – Camberley, Surrey
• Hexham General Hospital – Hexham, Northumberland
• Homerton University Hospital – London, Greater London
• King’s Mill Hospital – Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire
• Leeds Dental Institute – Leeds, West Yorkshire
• Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital – Liverpool, Merseyside
• Moorfields Eye Hospital – London, Greater London
• Queen Charlottes and Chelsea Hospital – London, Greater London
• Royal Manchester Eye Hospital – Manchester, Greater Manchester
• Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
• Royal Surrey County Hospital – Guildford, Surrey
• The Royal Marsden London – London, Greater London
• The Royal Marsden Sutton – Sutton, Surrey
• The Walton Centre – Liverpool, Merseyside
• Thomas Linacre Centre – Wigan, Greater Manchester
• Wansbeck General Hospital – Ashington, Northumberland