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Salford Royal Hospital Surgery Services Require Improvement, CQC Finds
By Drooid · · How we work
Hospital Surgery Services Rated as Requiring Improvement
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has concluded that surgery services at Salford Royal Hospital in Greater Manchester still need improvement to guarantee safe and timely patient care. The regulator’s inspection, carried out in May, followed a warning notice issued in October 2025 over staffing levels and risk management.
Inspection Findings and Regulatory Breaches
Inspectors identified twelve breaches of regulations covering patient safety, governance and staffing. Specific shortcomings included:
- Incomplete life-support training for some staff members.
- Infection-control standards that fell below the trust’s targets.
- Delays in investigating incidents, complaints and medication-management issues.
- Ongoing concerns about theatre staffing, medicines management and prolonged waiting times, discharge delays and higher readmission rates after surgery.
Despite these issues, patients and relatives reported feeling safe and praised staff for compassion and kindness. The service’s caring rating improved from “requires improvement” to “good.”
Official Responses from Hospital and CQC
Karen Coverley, deputy chief nursing officer at Salford Royal, said the trust was pleased that inspectors recognized the improvements made since the previous inspection, noting progress on ward staffing, safeguarding and patient-safety processes.
Implications for Patient Care
The CQC’s findings highlight ongoing risks to patient safety and the need for sustained effort to address staffing gaps, training deficiencies and procedural delays. While the improved caring rating suggests positive patient experiences, the identified breaches underscore the importance of meeting regulatory standards to reduce waiting times, discharge delays and readmission rates, thereby ensuring reliable surgical care for the Greater Manchester community.