- NHS hospital
King's Mill Hospital
Assessment report published 15 July 2026
Contents
Ratings - Urgent and emergency services
Our view of the service
The emergency department (ED) at King’s Mill Hospital provides a 24-hour, seven-day a week service to the local population. The consultant led service is a member of the East Midlands trauma network and is a designated trauma unit. The ED consisted of 32 ‘majors’ treatment trolleys, 10 ‘minors’ treatment trolleys, a 15 bedded resuscitation area. The paediatric area consists of a paediatric resuscitation bay, and a paediatric emergency unit consisting of three trolleys and a high dependency unit space. There was also 3 triage rooms used for initial tests while patients wait for admission into the ED department. There is a same day emergency care (SDEC) unit to support patients experiencing acute medical conditions. Patients in SDEC are ideally assessed, diagnosed, and treated in a hospital on the same day of their arrival, allowing them to return home rather than being admitted for an overnight ward stay.
There is a designated emergency department for children and young people. This unit opened 24 hours a day in December 2025. There is a co located urgent treatment centre which is run by a different provider. We did not inspect the urgent treatment centre.
On Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 March 2026 CQC carried out an assessment at King’s Mill Hospital. We last inspected urgent and emergency care (UEC) in 2024 and Medical Care services in 2018 when we rated both as good. At this assessment the ratings stayed the same.
We assessed 25 quality statements across the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions. We have combined the scores for these areas with scores from the last assessment to give the rating.
We spoke with 12 patients and 6 relatives/carers. We reviewed 12 adult patient records and 6 records of children and young people. We spoke with more than 52 staff which included: consultants, resident doctors, nurses, senior leaders, healthcare assistants, administration staff, chief pharmacist, deputy chief pharmacist, pharmacy technician, housekeeping staff and volunteers.
People's experience of this service
Most patients, families and carers we spoke with were mostly positive about the staff, who treated them with warmth and kindness and provided effective care and treatment. Comments from patients, families and carers included: staff were “helpful, friendly and kind”. Patients said communication with them was generally good although most patients were not given any indication of how long they would have to wait for treatment past the initial meeting with the doctor.
Patients said they were seen quickly by trained nursing staff when they arrived and were asked appropriate questions to find out more about why they had attended the ED. Records we reviewed showed they were given the tests they needed usually promptly. We observed staff interacting with patients in a sensitive and kind manner. Most patients said that they were offered food and fluids whilst waiting.