HCA Healthcare UK The Harborne Hospital

The Harborne Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK, is a relatively new facility located in Birmingham, it opened in January 2024. The hospital provides a range of specialist services, including diagnostic imaging. The diagnostic imaging service supports both privately funded patients and those referred through an NHS pathway. Imaging services include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, mammography, X-ray and fluoroscopy, alongside other diagnostic imaging procedures used to support clinical assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning.

The on-site assessment of the diagnostic imaging service took place on 20 and 21 January 2026. We assessed 33 quality statements across the key questions of safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led to determine the rating.

During the assessment we spoke with staff, leaders, service users and stakeholders. We reviewed care records, policies, and other documentation relevant to the service.

This is the first rating of this newly registered service. We rated the service as good.

The diagnostic imaging service was rated good overall, demonstrating strong performance across most areas. The service maintained a positive safety culture, with systems in place for reporting incidents, sharing learning and managing complaints. Staff were trained in safeguarding, infection prevention and other mandatory training relevant to their roles. The environment was clean, well maintained and equipped to support the safe delivery of imaging services.

Care was person-centred, and staff treated patients with kindness, dignity and respect. Patients told us they were given clear explanations about their scans and felt involved in decisions relating to their care. Staff worked collaboratively with colleagues across the hospital and with external partners to support patient pathways and ensure timely access to diagnostic imaging.

While most areas met a good standard, some shortfalls were noted in monitoring and improving outcomes. The absence of audits for booking delays hindered targeted improvements. Despite these issues, patient feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with high confidence in staff and timely care delivery. Overall, the service demonstrated a strong commitment to safety, quality, and patient experience.

HCA Healthcare UK The Harborne Hospital is a newly built hospital which was registered with CQC in January 2024. It is part of the larger HCA International Limited who have additional locations around the country. The Harborne Hospital location is the first which has been built in the Midlands region and provides care to patients in Birmingham and the West Midlands. We inspected the surgical services at this location based on our requirement to complete an initial inspection of services after registration. The service provides a range of surgical specialties which includes but is not limited to general surgery, gynaecology, spinal surgery and ear, nose and throat surgery.

During our inspection we spoke with 19 staff which included matrons, consultants, nurses, anaesthetists and resident doctors.

Surgery had never been inspected before, so we completed a comprehensive inspection including all 33 quality statements across safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions. We rated the service as good overall, however we rated effective as requires improvement.

We found:

Safe:

The service had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. Managers investigated incidents thoroughly. People were protected and kept safe. Staff understood and managed risks. The facilities and equipment met the needs of patients, were clean and well-maintained and any risks mitigated. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience although there had been a significant turnover of staff. Managers made sure staff received training and regular appraisals to maintain high-quality care. Staff managed medicines well and involved patients in planning any changes.

Effective:

The service had no data on the clinical outcomes of patients and therefore were not assured patients had safe and effective care and no awareness of where care required improving. However, patients were involved in assessments of their needs. Staff reviewed assessments taking account of patients’ communication, personal and health needs. Care was based on latest evidence and good practice. Patients always had enough to eat and drink to stay healthy. Staff worked with all agencies involved in patients’ care for the best outcomes and smooth transitions when moving services. Staff made sure patients understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent. Staff involved those important to patients and took decisions in patients’ best interests where they did not have the capacity to make their own choices at the time.

Caring:

Patients were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected their privacy and dignity. They treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. Patients had choices in their care and were able to have support from their family and friends. Staff responded to patients in a timely way. The service supported staff wellbeing.

Responsive:

Patients were involved in decisions about their care. The service provided information people could understand. People knew how to give feedback and were confident the service took it seriously and acted on it. The service was easy to access and worked to eliminate discrimination. Patients received fair and equal care and treatment. The service worked to reduce health and care inequalities through training and feedback. Patients were involved in planning their care and understood options around choosing to withdraw from or not receive care. However, we had concerns over the lack of training staff received to meet the needs of patients with dementia and those who had mental health needs.

Well-led:

Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust. Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. Staff felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. People with protected characteristics felt supported. Managers worked with the local community to deliver the best possible care and were receptive to new ideas. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities, however there were concerns around some governance aspects in relation to collating data on patient outcomes. This equally impacted the culture around continuous improvement, although staff seemed keen on engaging with research and looking for accreditation opportunities for the hospital.

We carried out this assessment as the service had not been assessed since it was registered in January 2024 and was therefore unrated. The Harborne Hospital is part of the HCA Healthcare UK. The hospital is a private hospital and offers the following services, treatment of disease, disorder or injury, diagnostic and screening procedures, surgical procedures, management of supply of blood and blood derived products and family planning to adults of aged 18 years and above, the hospital does not offer treatment to children.

We assessed all quality statements across the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions and have combined the scores for these areas to give an overall rating.

The HCA Healthcare UK The Harborne Hospital is a newly built hospital that has been opened for 18 months. During this time staff have worked to build relationships with third parties and to establish the level of care and treatment at the hospital. The Hospital currently undertakes complex surgeries, and has a range of medical specialties including haematology, oncology and endoscopy. Patients have access to radiotherapy service, provided by a third party, on site. It has an intensive care unit on site and a range of specialist nurses in a variety of fields. The hospital has 38 beds of which, six are in the intensive care unit. It also has an oncology day unit where chemotherapy and other anti-cancer treatments are provided.

This is the first rating of this newly registered service. We rated the service as good.

The Harborne Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK, is a newly built facility that has been operating for 18 months. In this time, staff have built strong partnerships and established high standards of care. Its main service is surgery, delivering a range of complex surgical procedures alongside specialties such as haematology, oncology, radiotherapy and endoscopy. The hospital is supported by an on-site intensive care unit and specialist nursing teams, with 38 inpatient beds, including six intensive care beds. It also provides outpatient services and an oncology day unit offering chemotherapy and other anti-cancer treatments.

The on-site assessment was unannounced and took place on 30 September 2025 and 1 October 2025. We assessed 33 quality statements across the key questions of safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led to determine the rating.

During the assessment, we spoke with staff, leaders, service users and stakeholders. We reviewed care records, policies, and other documentation relevant to the service.

This is the first rating of this newly registered service. We rated the service as good.

The outpatient department at The Harborne Hospital was rated good overall, demonstrating strong performance across most areas. The service maintained a proactive and positive safety culture, with clear processes for reporting incidents, managing complaints, and sharing lessons learned. Staff were well-trained in safeguarding and infection prevention, and compliance with mandatory training was high. The environment was clean and equipped to support safe care, and staffing levels were managed effectively, supported by robust induction and appraisal systems.

Care was consistently person-centred, with staff treating patients with kindness, dignity, and respect. Patients were actively involved in decisions about their treatment, and communication was clear and tailored to individual needs. The department maintained strong collaboration with other teams and external partners. Governance structures were well established, ensuring accountability and continuous improvement, and leaders were described as inclusive, visible, and supportive.

While most areas met a good standard, some shortfalls were noted in monitoring and improving outcomes and in safe systems and transitions. Reliance on handwritten notes and limited oversight of consultant-led bookings created risks to continuity of care, and the absence of audits for booking delays hindered targeted improvements. Despite these issues, patient feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with high confidence in staff and timely care delivery. Overall, the service demonstrated a strong commitment to safety, quality, and patient experience.

We found one breach of the regulations regarding good governance. If we have requested an action plan, this will be requested upon publication of the final report.