- NHS hospital
Northwick Park Hospital
Assessment report published 21 October 2026
Contents
Ratings - Urgent and emergency services
Our view of the service
We carried out an announced focused assessment of the urgent and emergency care (UEC) department at Northwick Park Hospital on 21 July 2026 to assess improvements the trust had made following the last assessment in July 2025.
The service was previously rated as requires improvement and in breach of regulations 10, dignity and respect and 12, safe care and treatment. This assessment focused on quality statements under the Safe and Responsive key questions. We rated the service as good. The service had made improvements and is no longer in breach of regulations.
We found that the action plan implemented following our previous assessment had addressed many of the issues raised. These included adapting temporary escalation spaces to ensure privacy and dignity and increasing resources to ensure safe staffing.
The trust had improved how it managed patients arriving to the emergency department (ED) following a redesign of the department completed in September 2025. Check in options allowed adult patients to register digitally. The Hello Nurse and Enhanced Nurse Practitioner (ENP) assessed patients on arrival in a timely manner and directed them to the most appropriate area.
Paediatric patients entered paediatric ED immediately on arrival where they were streamed appropriately by specialist paediatric nurses, ensuring safe care and treatment. Paediatric facilities were age appropriate, meeting the needs of younger and older children alike.
The service provided patients with information in multiple languages that represented the local population. We saw there was improved access to real time translation services ensuring that services met individual patient needs.
The service used nationally recognised tools to assess deteriorating patients, sepsis and skin integrity. However, not all documentation was completed in a timely manner which could potentially lead to delayed treatment.
People's experience of this service
The patients we spoke with were positive about the service and care they received. We observed streaming and triage of patients in a timely manner and patients told us that the plan for their care was explained to them in a way that they understood.
The paediatric ED waiting area has been extended, and we saw there was sufficient seating for the number of patients and families using the service. The area was bright and set out to ensure patients could be observed by staff at all times.
We saw a small number of patients placed in temporary escalation spaces. Patients told us they had been offered food and drink, and we saw patients cared for in temporary escalation spaces which were separated by privacy screens. Staff were visible and patients told us the reason for being in the area had been explained to them.