- Independent hospital
The Winterbourne Hospital
Report from 9 July 2025 assessment
Ratings - Outpatients
Our view of the service
We carried out this assessment on 6 August 2025.
The outpatient service at The Winterbourne Hospital provided privately funded outpatient services. This included appointments with medical consultants, minor procedures such as cystoscopies (a procedure to look inside the bladder to diagnose or treat symptoms) and removal of skin lesions, and follow up appointments with consultants or nurses after surgery, which could include monitoring and changes of wound dressings. The hospital was also contracted to provide some services for NHS patients. This included orthopaedic joint replacement surgery. This meant initial consultant appointments and postoperative follow up for these NHS patients was carried out in the outpatient department.
We assessed 5 key questions; safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led. The inspection team comprised of 2 CQC Inspectors. We spoke with members of staff and senior leaders. We carried out remote interviews with staff and teams. We also requested evidence from the service which was provided by the service on 14 August 2025. We rated the outpatient service as good overall because:
The service had made improvements and was no longer in breach of regulations. Clinicians now recorded patient notes contemporaneously. Staff were now trained to the nationally recommended levels for safeguarding adults and children. Governance arrangements now ensured issues were escalated and rectified in a timely manner. Recruitment processes now ensured all appropriate checks on staff were completed prior to employment.
The service had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. Managers investigated incidents. Patients were protected and kept safe. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications, and experience.
Staff assessed patients’ conditions and patients were involved in decisions about their care and treatment. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent. Care and treatment was based on latest evidence and good practice.
Leaders and staff had a shared vision for the running of the service that was underpinned by a set of principles and values. Staff were treated equally, and staff with protected characteristics felt supported. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. There was a culture and structure for continuous improvement being embedded into the service.
People's experience of this service
Feedback from the Friends and Family Test results demonstrated patients were satisfied with their experience of receiving care and treatment in the outpatient department at The Winterbourne Hospital. Patient feedback showed they were treated with kindness and empathy from all staff. They were given information to allow them to make informed decisions about their ongoing care and treatment.
The feedback was the same from patients we had conversations with during the inspection.