CQC rates four services at Trust as ‘Requires improvement’

04 March 2026 - The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today (4 March 2026) published four inspection reports for services provided by King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

All four services assessed – including maternity, medical care (including older people’s care) and services for children and young people at King’s College Hospital, and maternity at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) – were each rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ overall.

All four inspections were carried out during April and May 2025. Medical care (including older people’s care) at the PRUH and Orpington Hospital were also inspected at the same time last year, and these inspection reports will be published by the CQC in due course.

The CQC found areas of good practice across all four services, and staff were praised for being kind, warm and compassionate, and for involving patients and their families in decisions about their care and treatment at the Trust.

However, the CQC identified a number of areas of concern, particularly in relation to leadership and culture in maternity services at both King’s College Hospital and the PRUH. The inspection team also found medical care (including older people’s care) and services for children and young people at King’s College Hospital below the standard people should expect.

The inspections took place in the Spring last year, and the Trust has already taken action to address a number of areas of concern raised during the inspection process.

The Trust is also taking action to ensure staff with the appropriate skills are deployed in the right areas. In maternity services, there is ongoing work to increase the visibility of leaders in the service, and a local cultural change programme is underway to help ensure staff feel supported, and able to speak up.

Professor Clive Kay, Chief Executive at the Trust, said:

“The CQC’s inspections show that, in many areas, our teams are providing high quality care, and this is clearly valued by patients, and people who use our services. Our clinical outcomes are also excellent, and this has been the case for many years.

“However, it is also clear from the reports published today that, in some areas, we are not meeting the high standards that patients rightly expect, nor giving staff the support they need to deliver the best possible services for the communities we serve.

“We have evidence that points to an improving culture within the organisation over the past 12 months, which is positive, but there is clearly more work to do, as we made clear to the CQC, and we will continue with our efforts to deliver improvements in this key area.”

If you need further information, please contact the Trust’s press office via 020 3299 3257 or [email protected]