CQC recognises progress as improvements take hold at Countess of Chester Hospital

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has welcomed the positive findings from the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection, which demonstrates improved ratings in the services assessed.

Inspectors looked at Urgent and Emergency Care, End of Life Care and Medical Services. They saw clear improvements across all three areas, with changes providing patients with safer care, better experiences, improved treatment spaces and more timely access to care.

The Trust welcomed the Good rating for its Medical and End of Life care. This reflects better experiences for patients and their families, with a strong focus on kindness, dignity and compassion.

Jane Tomkinson OBE, Chief Executive Officer at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: 

“This is a proud moment for our teams and an important message for our patients and their families. The CQC report demonstrates that the actions we are taking are improving the quality and experience for patients. 

“I am extremely grateful to colleagues across the Trust for their professionalism, compassion and commitment. We recognise there is more to do – especially in Urgent and Emergency Care – and we will continue to drive forward the improvements, to ensure every patient receives safe, timely and high‑quality care.”

Neil Large MBE, Chair of the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“This achievement has come from colleagues working together with a strong focus on listening, learning and making changes that matter to patients and their families.

“On behalf of the Trust Board, I want to thank colleagues across our hospitals for their dedication and professionalism.”

The inspection took place during the Trust’s busiest month on record, when emergency care demand was around 8% higher than the same time last year. Despite this pressure, CQC inspectors saw clear improvements in how patients were assessed, treated and supported in the Countess of Chester Hospital’s emergency care facilities.

Since the inspection, the Trust has completed a £7.1 million upgrade to the emergency department and the discharge lounge. A new arrival and streaming process is helping patients reach the right care more quickly, senior clinical capacity has increased during peak times, and progress is being made with earlier discharge planning to support smoother patient journeys.

These changes sit alongside major milestones achieved over the past year, including the Trust being recognised as one of the most improved in England.

The full CQC report is due to be published on Friday 31 July 2026.

These changes sit alongside major milestones achieved over the past year, including:

• Opening the award-winning £110m Women and Children’s Building – the first NHS building in England to meet the NHS Net Zero Building Standard
• A bigger and modernised stroke ward which opened in October 2025
• New technology and innovation being introduced, including AI to help diagnose skin cancers and a new procedure bay
• Launch of the research bus – one of only a few in the North West – taking research and health checks into local communities
• Helping Chester to be one of the first areas in England to effectively eliminate Hepatitis C through community outreach and screening.

This work has led to continued reductions in waiting times for planned and urgent care:

• Shorter waits for treatment – average waits have fallen from 23 weeks to 15 weeks
• Being named the best in England for fast bowel cancer diagnosis for four months in a row
• Becoming the best in Cheshire and Merseyside for treating minor injuries and illnesses in A&E
• More people being seen in A&E within four hours (going from 55% of people to 62%)

The Trust has also climbed 35 places in the national performance table of 134 hospital trusts – including a recent jump of 24 places, the biggest in Cheshire and Merseyside – moving from 133 in September 2025 to 98 in July 2026.