- Independent hospital
HCA Healthcare UK The Harborne Hospital
Assessment report published 2 March 2026
Contents
Ratings - Outpatients
Our view of the service
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.
People's experience of this service
Overall, patients expressed high levels of satisfaction with the hospital and the care they received. Many described staff as attentive, professional and reassuring, and felt the standard of treatment was consistently high. The positive interactions with clinical teams contributed to a strong sense of confidence in the service.
Where concerns were identified, these primarily related to the appointment-booking process and occasional gaps in communication between the different teams involved in coordinating care. While these issues did not undermine patients’ confidence in the clinical care itself, they did highlight areas where the wider patient journey could be improved.