Urgent care at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital rated requires improvement
The CQC has raised safety concerns but notes some positive improvements.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has re-rated urgent and emergency services at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital as requires improvement after an inspection in July 2025.
The inspection, prompted by concerns over staffing, safety, and the environment for mental health patients, found breaches in regulations covering safe care and management. Persistent safety issues included poor compliance with mandatory training, which had not been fully resolved since the last inspection.
While the hospital’s safe and well-led categories remain as requires improvement, effective and caring were rated as good. The responsive category has improved to good, ensuring an unchanged overall rating of good for both the hospital and Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Deputy director of operations for the CQC in Hampshire, Catherine Campbell, said: “When we inspected Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital’s emergency department, we found people weren’t always receiving care in a safe environment. Leaders hadn’t consistently addressed known safety risks or been able to sustain improvements over time, meaning some issues we had identified previously remained unresolved.”
Inspectors highlighted the risks to mental health patients, particularly exposed ligature hazards and sharp equipment left accessible, despite past incidents of self-harm. Lack of a designated safe space for people at risk was also a concern.
The CQC found additional gaps in documentation, such as early warning scores for deteriorating conditions, which could delay crucial interventions. System-wide constraints, including a lack of external mental health beds, further contributed to delays.
Good practices were also identified. Staff achieved full compliance with treating sepsis within one hour, reduced waiting times for patients aged over 70 to under seven hours, and introduced earlier senior doctor assessments to avoid corridor care. Communication resources for supporting patients with sensory or language barriers were also praised.
Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital say it fully accepts the findings and recommendations and are working hard to embed sustained improvement
Julie Dawes, Chief Nurse, issued a statement saying, “We are grateful to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for their inspection and report. It is very disappointing that the overall rating of our urgent and emergency services at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital remains as requires improvement.”
She assured that they are working to address the CQC’s findings and embed sustained improvements, particularly for mental health provisions, while upgrading facilities to provide safer and more appropriate care.
The CQC will continue monitoring the hospital to ensure their recommendations are implemented and improvements maintained.