Royal Derby Hospital

Ratings - Diagnostic imaging

• Overall

  Good

• Safe

  Good

• Effective

  Good

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Good

Our view of the service

Date of inspection: 11 to 13 November 2025

We carried out a short notice announced comprehensive inspection of diagnostic imaging from the 11 to 13 November 2025 due the length of time it has been since the service was previously inspected. We inspected all the quality statements across the five key questions: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. This was the first assessment of diagnostic imaging at this service under the standard assessment framework.

Diagnostic imaging refers to non-invasive, technology driven procedures used to create visual representations of the body’s internal structures. This aids medical staff in diagnosing, treating and monitoring diseases and injuries. During our inspection we visited: accident and emergency x-ray and computed tomography (CT), outpatient department X-ray and CT scanners, breast clinic, maternity outpatients, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fluoroscopy, nuclear medicine and clinical measurements across the hospital.

We spoke with members of staff including radiographers, radiologists, physicists, imaging assistants, sonographers, receptionists, and managers. We also received feedback from patients who were using the service.

We rated the service as good.

Safe:
We rated safe as good. This meant that patients were safe from avoidable harm. The service established and maintained safe systems of care, maintained safe and effective staffing levels and worked with patients to understand and manage risks. Staff assessed and managed the risk of infection and had a proactive and positive culture of safety.

Effective:

We rated effective as good. This meant that patients’ care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes, based on best available evidence, their care needs were assessed and reviewed.

Caring:

We rated caring as good. This meant patients were treated with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. The service treated people as individuals, promoted patients’ independence and understood patients’ needs. The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff.

Responsive:

We rated responsive as good. This meant the service met patients’ needs by providing person-centred care and providing information. The service understood the health and care needs of people and their local communities and people could access the service in a timely manner and had equitable outcomes.

Well led:

We rated well led as good. This meant that leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

People's experience of this service

We received feedback from patients during the inspection. Patients, family and carers we spoke with were all positive about the staff treating them with warmth and kindness and providing effective care and treatment. Most people we spoke with told us they did not experience long waits in the various departments. People told us communication with them was generally good and they were happy with the care they received. We observed that staff provided clear explanations in a way patients could understand and offered reassurance.

Friends and family data provided following the inspection showed that on the whole patients felt their privacy and dignity was maintained, they were treated with respect, they well informed and understood their treatment and overall felt they had a good experience in the various diagnostic imaging departments across the trust. Departments were accessible for patients with disabilities.