- NHS hospital
Fairfield General Hospital
Assessment report published 26 June 2026
Contents
Ratings - Medical care (Including older people's care)
Our view of the service
Medical care at Fairfield General Hospital is provided by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.
This assessment looked at medical care (including older people’s care) at Fairfield General Hospital. We commenced a responsive assessment as part of our urgent and emergency care system pressures thematic review framework between 20 and 22 January 2026. We reviewed 33 quality statements across the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions.
We visited medical wards across various specialities including stroke speciality wards, respiratory, general medicine, cardiology and coronary care, diabetes and endocrinology.
We spoke with people who used the service and staff, including nurses, healthcare assistants, domestic staff, students, doctors, consultants and senior managers. In addition to this we also spoke with partners and stakeholders to hear their views of the service. We observed care and treatment, inspected patient care records, and reviewed the trust’s audits and performance data.
Our overall rating for the medical care service remained the same. We rated the service as requires improvement.
We found 4 regulatory breaches relating to safe care and treatment, staffing, environment and equipment and governance.
The service did not always ensure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. The service did not always manage medicines and treatments safely or in a way that met people’s needs, capacity and preferences. Staff did not always follow guidance on hand hygiene and use of personal protective equipment.
The service did not have enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to provide safe care and treatment. Not all staff had completed required mandatory training, including sepsis and life support training.
The service did not always take timely or effective action to address inequalities in access and outcomes, particularly in stroke rehabilitation, where the use of escalation beds reduced access to therapy and affected patient experience and outcomes.
The service did not always have effective governance arrangements, with outdated policies, incomplete audit action plans and unclear accountability. Leaders did not always act on identified risks in a timely way, and assurance and escalation processes did not consistently result in sustained improvement.
However, the service worked well across teams and services to support people. Staff told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff made reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of people with dementia, learning disabilities, autism and sensory impairments.
The service had a shared vision and culture. Leaders were visible and engaged, most staff felt valued and able to raise concerns, and partners described open and collaborative working with system partners.
People's experience of this service
Most patients and relatives told us they were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Patients said staff were friendly, approachable and took time to listen to them. Many patients felt supported, included in decisions about their care, and treated with dignity, with staff maintaining privacy during personal care and holding conversations discreetly.
Patients and families spoke positively about the caring nature of staff, including their understanding of individual preferences and needs. Relatives of people living with dementia described staff as attentive and thoughtful, saying they knew patients well and took account of what helped keep them calm and comfortable. Some relatives also said staff showed care towards them, including offering food and supporting overnight stays.
Patients felt they were treated as individuals, with flexible visiting arrangements that supported family involvement. One patient said staff had enabled visits from their dog, which had a very positive impact on their wellbeing. Families said staff understood the emotional impact of illness and provided reassurance and support to both patients and those close to them.
However, some patients told us they experienced delays when requesting help, such as assistance with toileting or pain relief, particularly overnight. This affected how promptly their immediate needs were met.