CQC publishes well-led inspection report
15 July 2026 - King's rated 'Requires Improvement' for well-led
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today (Wednesday, 15 July) published its findings from a well-led inspection carried out at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in September 2025.
The CQC has rated the Trust’s leadership as ‘Requires Improvement’, down from the ‘Good’ rating for well-led that King’s received in February 2023.
The CQC highlighted a number of issues in their latest well-led inspection report, including a culture of fear amongst staff. The CQC also found that staff expressed concerns that their feedback wasn’t always acted upon, and that decisions were often made without engagement with staff.
The inspection team found that the Trust had a clear and well-articulated strategy, but that this hadn’t translated consistently into a positive organisational culture. Staff also told the inspection team that there was a disconnect between the Trust’s stated values and what they experienced in their day-to-day roles.
Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, disabled and LGBTQ+ staff at the Trust also reported mixed experiences of career development, and progression opportunities within the organisation.
The CQC did praise the Trust, however, for its focus on partnership working, and for its strong commitment to community engagement, and tackling health inequalities. They were also positive about the Trust’s commitment to environmental sustainability, as set out in its Green Plan to 2028.
The CQC also highlighted the Trust’s strong research culture, with over 33,000 patients taking part in research studies during 2025/26.
Matthew Trainer, who joined the Trust as its new Chief Executive this month, said:
“The team at King’s has done a lot of work since the CQC’s inspection, with the Trust leaving NHS England’s Recovery Support Programme and making significant improvements in its latest NHS Staff Survey results. But there are findings in the CQC’s report that need to be listened to and acted upon.
“Staff need to feel safe when they raise concerns, and we need to make sure our leaders live the Trust’s values – to be caring, collaborative, inclusive and innovative – and that we are seen to be doing so by our staff.”
Since the CQC carried out their well-led inspection last autumn, the Trust has exited NHS Oversight Framework Segment 4, and has been removed from the Recovery Support Programme.
King’s also rated in the top five most improved NHS Trusts in the country for the NHS Staff survey results in 2025, compared to 2024.
In June this year, the Trust also published its five-year strategy for 2026-31, and new organisational values, with work underway to embed these across the organisation.