- NHS hospital
Charing Cross Hospital
Assessment report published 14 January 2026
Contents
Ratings - Medical care (Including older people's care)
Our view of the service
Charing Cross Hospital is an acute general teaching hospital with 306 inpatient beds providing a range of medical care services. The medical services include acute medicine unit (AMU), care of the elderly wards, specialist wards such as oncology, respiratory medicine, stroke unit, neurology, and endocrinology.
We previously inspected the service from the 07 to the 09 March 2017, and found 2 breaches of regulations relating to safe care and treatment.
On the 16 October 2025 we carried out an unannounced focused assessment of medical care (including older people’s care), in response to patient safety concerns following 2 serious patient incidents that occurred within a 2 month period. We assessed 20 quality statements across safe, caring, and well led key questions. We visited 3 medical wards, spoke with 20 staff, 10 patients and families, and viewed 20 medical records.
We rated the service as good. We found 1 breach of the regulations in relation to safe care and treatment.
The service had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. The service made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development.
The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. Staff took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.
Leaders were visible, knowledgeable, and supportive. Staff were treated equally, and staff with protected characteristics felt supported. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. There was a culture and structure for continuous improvement being embedded into the service.
However, the service did not have adequate systems and processes in place to understand what being safe meant to people. The service did not have adequate safeguarding training or up to date policies in place.
The service did not always detect and control potential risks in the care environment and did not always assess or manage the risk of infection. Not all staff were aware of the trust’s vision and strategy or were aware of the freedom to speak up guardian.
In instances where CQC has begun a process of regulatory action, we may publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded, if the action has been taken forward.
Or, if we have requested an action plan, this will be requested upon publication of the final report.
People's experience of this service
Patients, their families, and carers were positive about their interactions with staff and the treatment they received. All patients, carers and families we spoke with reported that staff were friendly, and that they were treated with compassion and kindness. Most patients knew what the plan was for their ongoing treatment, and the reason for their admission was explained to them in a manner they understood.
The Family and Friends test for the previous 12 months showed that 95% of respondents were positive about the care received, with over a third of all patients, families and friends completing the survey.