Analysis: More than half of trusts 'require improvement'

The analysis is published to mark the regulator completing its inspections of every non-specialist acute trust in the country – concluding a process which began in September 2013 when it launched its new inspection regime.

• Explore the interactive map breaking down each rating

While all acute trusts have now been inspected, around 20 are still waiting for their report and ratings to be published. Our analysis gives the most comprehensive view of care quality across the country to date.

Looking at both acute and non-acute trusts, the majority of providers have received an overall rating of requires improvement – 109, or 61 per cent, are in this category.

Fifty-three trusts – 30 per cent of the total – have been rated good overall, 12 have been rated inadequate and five outstanding.

As well as issuing an overall rating, the CQC assesses each trust on whether it is safe, effective, responsive, caring and well led.

The majority of trusts – 82 per cent – have been rated good for caring, with 13 per cent rated outstanding in this area. No trust is currently judged to be inadequate in this domain.

Safety is the domain where most trusts are rated requires improvement and inadequate – 73 per cent have received the former and 11 per cent the latter. No trust is outstanding in this area.

Forty-eighty per cent of trusts have been rated requires improvement for well led, 40 per cent good, 7 per cent inadequate and 4 per cent outstanding.

However, there is significant variation in the ratings given to different sectors. While only 21 per cent of trusts providing acute services have been rated good overall, 40 per cent of non-acute trusts have received this rating.

HSJ also looked at how providers with different ratings fared in the 2015 NHS staff survey.

For the five trusts rated outstanding, an average of 82 per cent of staff recommended care at the organisation. For trusts that were good the figure was 65 per cent, for trusts that require improvement it was 62 per cent, and for inadequate trusts it was just 57 per cent.

Sir Mike Richards, the CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, told HSJ: “Since we began our new-style acute hospital inspections we have seen some fantastic examples of good and outstanding services, with five NHS trusts achieving an overall rating of outstanding.

“Eleven trusts have come out of special measures as a result of the progress identified when we re-inspected.

“This means that over 5 million people have benefited from better and safer care at their local hospitals, and demonstrates that despite the challenges facing hospitals improvements are possible.

“We have found a wide variation in the quality of care, but by reporting on our findings and ratings we want to share best practice and support trusts to improve.”