Emergency care improving at Blackpool hospital

The trust that runs Blackpool Victoria Hospital has made improvements in its urgent and emergency care, but does not always have enough skilled staff, a report has found.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an inspection to see if the trust had made improvements since 2022 when it found "risks to patients were not always recognised" and rated emergency care as inadequate.

The latest unannounced visit found wait times to be admitted to a ward from A&E had reduced, but patients being examined in corridors "compromised people's privacy and dignity".

The trust welcomed "recognition of the significant progress" they had strived to make as it was rated "requires improvement".

The inspection from 24 to 26 November showed continued breaches of regulation relating to staffing and good management.

There was also a new breach for person-centred care, the CQC said.

Inspectors upgraded the ratings for safe and responsive from inadequate to requires improvement, well-led has improved from inadequate to good, and effective has gone up from requires improvement to good, caring is rated good.

Gill Hodgson-Reilly, CQC deputy director of hospitals in the north west, said: "We were pleased to see the trust had been working hard to make some improvements since the last inspection.

"Leaders had better oversight of the service, and they were knowledgeable about the challenges and priorities it faced."

She said staff told them managers were "visible and approachable" so they could "feed back and help drive improvements, particularly around safety and flow through the department".

She said some improvements were still needed as the hospital "didn't make sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to always keep people safe".

But "leaders were aware of this and had plans in place to address it".

Inspectors found:

• Staff worked well across teams ensuring continuity of care
• In December 2024, 28% of people waited for more than 12 hours for a bed, but it had reduced to 15% in November 2025
• The service supported people to live healthier lives

However:

• Some patients felt they had received clear information about their care, treatment and next steps, but others felt communication could be improved
• The service did not make sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed, when they needed it
• The trust didn't ensure there was enough private space available, so people were receiving personal care and having examinations in corridor areas

Sam Westwell, chief nurse at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said the hospital welcomed the "recognition of the significant progress made" since the previous inspection.

"The report highlights improvements across a number of key areas, reflecting the hard work and commitment of our teams to delivering high-quality care for patients," she said.

"Whilst we are encouraged by this progress, we recognise that there are still areas where further improvement is required."

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