- Independent hospital
Practice Plus Group Hospital - Emersons Green
Assessment report published 20 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 30 June 2026 – 1 July 2026.
We carried out an unannounced, comprehensive assessment on 30 June 2026 and 1 July 2026.
The assessment looked at diagnostic imaging which we have rated as good, surgery, which we have rated as good and outpatients, which we have rated as good.
We rated the service overall as good.
We carried out the assessment as the provider had not been inspected under our new methodology since 2016 when the service was rated good in all key questions across all assessment service groups.
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Emersons Green is an independent hospital which provides planned surgical, outpatient and diagnostic services to NHS and private patients. It specialises in routine elective care, including orthopaedics, ophthalmology, ENT, general surgery, gynaecology, urology and endoscopy, with a focus on short waiting times and planned procedures rather than emergency care.
The service operates from a modern, purpose-built facility with inpatient beds, multiple operating theatres and diagnostic imaging, supporting pre‑ and post-operative pathways within a single site. It provides consultant-led care and aims to deliver rapid access to treatment, with private pathways offering particularly short timescales for surgery.
Emersons Green functions as a high-volume elective surgical centre with strong performance against regulatory standards, efficient patient pathways, and consistently positive feedback, though its scope is limited to planned care rather than acute or emergency services.
Surgery:
Practice Plus Group Hospital Emersons Green is an elective surgical centre providing planned NHS and private care. Surgical activity includes orthopaedics, ophthalmology, ENT, general surgery, gynaecology, urology and endoscopy, with consultant-led services delivered from a purpose-built facility containing inpatient beds, operating theatres and diagnostic imaging services. The hospital focuses on routine elective procedures with streamlined pre- and post-operative pathways and does not provide emergency or acute services.
Overall, people received safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led care. Care was delivered by skilled staff who completed thorough assessments, worked collaboratively across teams and involved people in decisions about their treatment. Patients consistently provided positive feedback about their experience, describing staff as kind, compassionate and responsive, and told us they felt well informed and supported throughout their care. The service made reasonable adjustments to meet individual needs, promoted continuity of care and used patient feedback to drive improvements. Governance processes provided oversight of quality, safety and performance, and leaders had identified and were addressing areas requiring improvement. However, we found some concerns relating to risk assessment documentation, environmental safety, aspects of theatre governance and culture, appraisal compliance, referral to treatment performance in some specialties, and staff confidence in speaking up and being heard by senior leaders. Despite these findings, patients' outcomes and experiences were positive, and the service was providing a good standard of care overall.
Outpatients:
Practice Plus Group Hospital – Emersons Green, provides a high-volume elective outpatient service supporting planned surgical pathways and consultant-led care for NHS and private patients. The service provides outpatient consultations, pre-operative assessments, follow-up appointments, diagnostic investigations and ongoing management across specialties including orthopaedics, ophthalmology, ENT, general surgery, gynaecology and urology. The hospital was assessed in 2016 and outpatients was rated good overall.
We carried out an on-site assessment of the outpatient department at Emersons Green Hospital. During the assessment, we reviewed evidence against the relevant quality statements within the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions. We rated the service as Good.
The outpatient's department was previously inspected in March and April 2016 and was rated as good.
The service demonstrated a positive culture of safety. People's care and treatment were regularly reviewed to ensure their needs continued to be met, and staff worked collaboratively to identify and manage risks. Effective arrangements were with the local NHS trust to support specialist review and the transfer of patients when required.
The outpatient environment was clean, well maintained and suitable for the delivery of care and treatment. There were enough staff with the appropriate skills, experience and qualifications to meet people's needs safely. Staff treated people with kindness, compassion and respect and were committed to providing person-centred care.
The service had effective governance and risk management processes to identify, monitor and mitigate risks. Leaders sought feedback from people using the service and used this information to support learning and continuous improvement. Systems were in place to investigate concerns and complaints, and to ensure learning was shared across the service.
Diagnostic imaging:
The diagnostic imaging service provides a range of investigations, including MRI, ultrasound and X‑ray, to support timely diagnosis and pre‑ and post-operative care within elective pathways. Services are delivered within a modern, purpose-built environment with access to on‑site equipment, enabling a streamlined “one‑stop” approach to assessment and treatment.
The service supports planned surgery by ensuring prompt access to imaging, contributing to reduced waiting times and efficient patient flow. Imaging is integrated with outpatient services, allowing patients to undergo investigations and clinical review within the same pathway, improving continuity and patient experience.
Overall, the diagnostic imaging service is characterised by accessible, efficient and patient -centred provision. It has modern facilities and strong integration into elective care pathways, supporting timely diagnosis and high-quality clinical outcomes.
Between July 2025 and June 2026, the service carried out 10,108 examinations at Emerson’s Green Hospital across all imaging modalities.
The diagnostic imaging service demonstrated a strong safety and learning culture, with effective risk management, appropriate staffing and well-maintained environments, alongside person-centred care. There were also evidence-based care and good multidisciplinary working. Patients were treated with kindness and respect, with services accessible, inclusive and responsive to individual needs, supported by visible and supportive local leadership fostering a culture of continuous improvement. However, some gaps remain in governance which require further strengthening to ensure full oversight and assurance.
We found a breach of regulations in relation to good governance.