Blackpool Victoria Hospital medical services gets new rating after latest Care Quality Commission inspection
“We recognise that there is still room for improvement.”
Medical services at Blackpool Victoria Hospital have been upgraded to a 'Good' rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Inspectors recognised improvements across safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership following the unannounced inspection between 24 and 26 November 2025, which focused on medical care, including services for older people.
Inspectors reviewed 10 sets of patient clinical records, spoke to 26 patients, eight family members or friends and 32 members of staff. They also visited medical wards, attended clinical meetings, including safety briefings and nurse handovers, and inspected the hospital's pharmacy department.
‘Really pleased’
Dr Neil Hartley Smith, Chief Medical Officer, said: “We are really pleased that the improvements made by our teams have been recognised. Our staff work incredibly hard to deliver safe, high-quality care, and it is encouraging to see the positive feedback from patients about their experiences.
“We recognise that there is still room for improvement and take the learning from the inspection seriously. We remain focused on continuing to improve and ensuring every patient receives the best possible care.”
The CQC found patients and their families were generally positive about the care they received, describing staff as kind, respectful and effective. Most said communication remained good despite busy wards, while patients did not report experiencing discrimination or inequality.
Inspectors also found the service made reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities and communication difficulties, using the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) to assess the experiences of patients unable to express their views directly.
The report states: "Staff provided care to meet people's needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them."
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At its previous inspection, the service was found to be in breach of regulations covering safe care and treatment, staffing and good governance. While inspectors said improvements had been made, they identified continuing breaches relating to safe care and treatment, premises and equipment, and staffing.
The CQC has requested an action plan from the trust following publication of the final report.
The latest findings also saw outpatient services at Fleetwood Hospital improve from 'Requires Improvement' to 'Good', with no regulatory breaches identified. Patients praised the service for being easy to access, with appointments running on time, while inspectors noted improvements in reducing missed appointments through changes to booking systems and patient communication.
Despite the improved rating for medical services, Blackpool Victoria Hospital as a whole remains rated 'Requires Improvement' by the CQC.
The full report can be found here: https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/RXL01/reports/LAP-02040/medical-care-including-older-people-s-care