- NHS hospital
Birmingham Children's Hospital
Assessment report published 30 July 2026
Ratings - Surgery
Our view of the service
We carried out an assessment of surgical services as the service had not been inspected since June 2022, when it was rated as good. Our rating of surgery remained the same. The assessment was unannounced and carried out on 28 and 29 January 2026. We assessed all quality statements across the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions and have combined the scores for these areas to give an overall rating.
The service mostly had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.
Staff had a good understanding of how to report incidents. They said they received feedback from managers, and of any outcomes or learning that was identified.
The service mostly had enough nursing, medical and support staff with the right qualifications, skills, training, and experience to keep patients safe from avoidable harm and to provide the right care and treatment.
We found 2 breaches of regulations in the proper and safe management of medicines and mandatory training. The service did not always make sure that medicines were safe or met people’s needs and preferences. The service did not always make sure that staff had completed mandatory training specific to their roles.
We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found during this assessment.
People's experience of this service
Children and young people, along with their parents and carers, provided positive feedback about their experiences and told us they were satisfied with the care provided. We observed patients being treated with care, dignity and compassion throughout their time on the ward. There was a strong patient-focused culture and learning from feedback to make improvements. Patient feedback was sought through the trust-wide NHS Friends and Family Test survey.
Records relating to patients’ care and treatment were well documented, clearly outlining the care delivered and identifying the next steps. However, the use of ‘All About Me’ documentation was not embedded within patients’ treatment journeys.