- Independent hospital
St Anthony's Hospital
Assessment report published 7 September 2026
Contents
Ratings - Outpatients
Our view of the service
Our short-notice announced inspection of St Anthony’s Outpatients Department (OPD) was conducted over two days between 16 and 17 June 2026. We carried out our assessment as the service had not been inspected since 2019, and because of information of concern that we had received.
During the assessment, we spoke with 33 members of staff, including leaders, consultants, nurses, healthcare assistants, allied health professionals and administrative staff. We spoke with 13 patients and relatives, reviewed 12 patient records, inspected clinical and non-clinical equipment and reviewed information submitted by the provider.
The outpatient department (OPD) was a consultant-led service supported by registered nurses, healthcare assistants, administrative staff and allied health professionals. The service provided outpatient consultations, treatments and pre-operative assessment services. Between June 2025 and May 2026, the hospital’s OPD saw over 48,000 outpatient attendances across a range of specialities. This comprised of over 31,000 who were insured, almost 10,000 self-funding, and over 7000 who were NHS funded. Over 45,000 of the patients were adults, with children and young people seen totalling just under 3000.
The 2 most frequently used OPD specialities were orthopaedic surgery and cardiology. This assessment focused on the OPD, including the Pre-Operative Assessment (POA) part of the OPD service. Physiotherapy and radiology services were not assessed.
Patients were protected from avoidable harm. Staff understood safeguarding responsibilities, recognised and escalated concerns appropriately, and followed safe systems of working. Medicines were managed safely with pharmacy support, and staff responded appropriately to clinical deterioration. The environment and equipment were generally clean, well maintained and fit for purpose, with systems in place to identify and mitigate risks.
There were processes to support safe and effective staffing. The department had a stable workforce, supported by appropriate staffing tools, training systems and appraisal processes. However, there had been a vacancy in the substantive Head of OPD role since September 2025, and some staff were not fully up to date with all mandatory training requirements. Whilst these gaps reduced assurance, we saw no evidence that patient care had been adversely affected.
People's needs were assessed holistically, taking account of their physical, emotional, communication and personal care needs. Care and treatment were delivered in line with current evidence-based guidance. Patient outcomes were monitored and were generally positive. Staff assessed and managed pain effectively. Patients were supported to understand their care and treatment and give informed consent.
Staff treated patients with kindness, compassion and respect. Patients and those close to them were involved in decisions about their care and treatment and were provided with information they could understand. Patients told us they felt listened to and had opportunities to ask questions about their treatment.
The service monitored access to care and took action to improve services where required. Adjustments were available to support people with additional needs and reduce barriers to accessing care. Staff considered equality, diversity and inclusion when planning and delivering services and worked to reduce health inequalities.
Leaders and staff understood the service vision and objectives and demonstrated a culture that encouraged openness, learning and continuous improvement.
Although there had been significant leadership changes in the past 18 months. Current leaders were visible and supportive, and staff told us they felt able to raise concerns and provide feedback. Governance and risk management systems provided oversight of quality and performance, and staff were actively involved in quality improvement activities designed to enhance patient care and experience.
Overall, we found the outpatient department provided safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led care. Systems and processes supported the delivery of high-quality care, although some areas relating to mandatory training compliance and leadership continuity required ongoing attention.
People's experience of this service
Patients and their relatives that we spoke with told us they were happy with the service they had received from all levels of the on-site Outpatient department (OPD) staff team. They described their consultants as having treated them with respect and had kept them informed at all stages of their patient journey.
Positive patient survey data between June 2025 and May 2026, showed that of the 612 respondents, 98% of patients rated their experience for their initial consultation as good or very good. 90% of patients thought they had been fully informed. However, there were issues with the booking system mentioned by patients. Where they said they had experienced communication issues between the centralised off-site booking team and the local on-site staff.