- NHS hospital
Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
Assessment report published 27 August 2026
Contents
Ratings - Medical care (Including older people's care)
Our view of the service
Gloucestershire Royal Hospital is part of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. They were registered with CQC in April 2010 to deliver the regulated activities: Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, Diagnostic and screening procedures, Management of supply of blood and blood derived products, Maternity and midwifery services, Surgical procedures, Termination of pregnancies, Treatment of disease, disorder or injury. The service has a Nominated Individual.
On Monday 8 December and Tuesday 9 December 2025 we carried out an inspection of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. This inspection was part of our System Pathway Pressures programme where we inspected Medical Care and Urgent and Emergency
services. This report relates to the medical directorate at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.
We assessed 25 quality statements across the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions. We focused on care provided by the acute medical unit, care of the elderly and respiratory wards. We also visited the Same Day Emergency Care centre and the Discharge Lounge and spoke with staff who worked on the Virtual Wards. We talked to staff, patients, family members and reviewed a number of patient records and information obtained from the provider.
The service was previously inspected in 2019 where it was rated as Good (responsive was requires improvement). At this inspection, we rated the service as Good overall. Safe was rated requires improvement with all other domains rated Good.
At this assessment we identified 2 breaches of regulation. The first breach of regulation was in relation to Safe Care and Treatment where staff did not conform with the trust’s infection control measures for hand washing and being bare below the elbow. The second breach was in relation to Premises and Equipment. The trust had an ageing estate and a lack of useable bathroom facilities. We have requested an action plan from the trust to address these issues.
People's experience of this service
Feedback from people using services or supporting people using services was mixed, with generally positive feedback from people using services in the respiratory wards, Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC), Discharge Lounge and Acute Medical Ward (AMU). People using services on the Care of Elderly ward had more concerns. Patients mostly told us that staff treated them with kindness and dignity and provided effective care and treatment. One patient described staff as “very engaged and easy to speak to if you have concerns.” Whereas other patients said they had raised concerns and felt “staff weren’t listening, although they knew staff were busy”. All patients said they were caring and respected their privacy and dignity.
While most people said communication was generally good, some told us they would have welcomed more frequent updates as they were unsure about their care plans or when they would be discharged. Staff mostly made reasonable adjustments for patients who had disabilities however there were some exceptions. We spoke with a person with a hearing impairment who felt that “due to being deaf, they felt they were missing out on what is happening with their care”.
We contacted Healthwatch for feedback on the service. Healthwatch is the independent statutory body for people who use healthcare facilities in England who ensures peoples’ voices are used to influence service improvements. They had visited Gloucester respiratory wards in September 2025 where they talked to people who used services and staff. They found, “overall, staff and patients highlighted a positive culture and experience on the ward, enabled by the ward leadership team and consistency within the staff team”.