- NHS hospital
The Ipswich Hospital
Assessment report published 18 February 2026
Contents
Ratings - Medical care (Including older people's care)
Our view of the service
On the 23 and 24 September 2025 we carried out an assessment of medical care (including older people). This was a responsive assessment due to concerns raised around pressure ulcer management, discharge processes and communication. In addition, it was to review the progress made against the requirement notice that was served on the provider following the inspection in January 2020. We inspected 19 quality statements across safe, responsive, and well-led key questions.
During our assessment we spoke with 46 staff, 20 patients and relatives using the service. People we spoke with felt staff were caring and worked well together to provide care and felt confident to raise concerns. Staff did not always complete risk assessments to mitigate risk for people they cared for. Staff did not always document mental capacity act assessments when caring for those who may lack capacity to consent or who are subject to restrictions on their liberty. Staff told us they were supported by their managers. However, low staffing impacted morale due to staff being asked to work in different areas. Nursing managers made sure staff received training to maintain high-quality care. However, medical staff were not compliant with mandatory training.
During our assessment, we found concerns which resulted in a breach of regulation in which we served a warning notice. We found breaches in consent, safe care and treatment, and good governance. You can find more details of our concerns in the evidence category findings.
In instances where CQC has decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded.
People's experience of this service
While the people we spoke with expressed they were happy with their care, our assessment found the care (or elements of the care) did not meet the expected standards.
We carried out a short observational framework for inspection (SOFI) which showed that there were positive patient interactions from staff. For example, medical staff were speaking to a patient regarding their condition and demonstrated collaboration, warmth and empathy. We observed some missed opportunities for positive interaction from some of the health care and nursing staff when supporting patients.
People told us that staff were kind and friendly. Some patients reported feeling unsafe when observing violence and aggression from other patients. However, felt staff reassured them and de-escalated the situation effectively. Some patients told us that they did not always know their plan of care. Patients reported being given supplementary drinks to support their nutritional needs but most people we spoke with did not like the food, one stated “the food is rubbish, cold toast for breakfast”.