Both South London hospitals had their rating for whether the service is caring upgraded to ‘Outstanding’
Urgent and emergency care services at two South London hospitals have maintained their respective ‘Outstanding’ and ‘Good’ ratings following recent inspections from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Guy’s Hospital in Southwark and St Thomas’ Hospital in Lambeth are part of the Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and were both inspected in March 2026.
CQC inspectors were looking at urgent and emergency care to assess the quality of care patients were receiving when using those services. Across both hospitals the assessment of whether the service is caring was upgraded to ‘Outstanding’.
St Thomas’ Hospital
St Thomas’, an 840-bed hospital which includes an adult’s emergency department, Evelina London children’s emergency department and an urgent treatment centre, has maintained an overall ‘Outstanding’ rating.
In an official report published last Wednesday (June 3), inspectors praised hospital staff for treating patients with kindness, empathy and compassion. Staff are aware of patients and their individual needs and supported continuity of care where needed, they added.
Staff have a system of sending sympathy cards, which are designed by the department, to relatives of deceased patients.
Inspectors said: “Patients and their relatives described staff as ‘excellent’. They said staff ‘went above the call of duty’ and were ‘so friendly’. Patients told us they have had the ‘best experience’ and are ‘very impressed’ with their care.
“A patient felt the care and treatment offered was thorough as the doctors ‘like to rule out everything’. Some of the patients told us it would have been easier for them to go to other hospitals, but they preferred the service because it was ‘very good’.”
Patients told inspectors they felt listened to and involved in decisions about their care and the service made reasonable adjustments for people with additional needs, including those with learning disabilities or communication needs.
Inspectors said the service had systems to ensure neurodivergent patients received suitable care, including neurodiversity-specific toys and equipment. Compliance for training on autism and learning disabilities was at 88 per cent and staff were booked onto the training.
Leaders were praised for being experienced, skilled and knowledgeable, and staff were proud to work at the service.
The service made sure patients were at the centre of their care and treatment choices. Patients’ needs were listened to and staff responded to any discomfort, concern or distress.
Inspectors said there was a strong emphasis on promoting the wellbeing of staff, who are supported to always deliver safe care for patients.
While the service met national four-hour performance standards and most people experienced short waits and positive outcomes, patients with mental health needs experienced long stays in the department due to long waits for transfer to specialist mental health services.
The Trust’s leadership is reportedly working with mental health partners to address this while the Crisis Assessment Unit (CAU) at St Thomas’ ensures a calm, therapeutic area with motion sensor lights for patients awaiting ongoing mental health assessment.
When assessing the service at St Thomas’ Hospital, it received an ‘Outstanding’ rating for being caring, responsive and well-led and was rated ‘Good’ for being safe and effective. The service’s overall CQC rating remains ‘Outstanding’.
Guy’s Hospital
Guy’s is a 400-bed hospital with a major hub for planned care across South East London. It is also a national leader in specialist services including orthopaedics, ENT, urology, breast, dental care and kidney which includes transplant.
The hospital does not have an emergency department but its urgent care centre provides walk-in care for adults and children with minor illnesses and injuries.
Inspectors praised staff for consistently showing kindness, professionalism and respect and said patients were seen promptly and appreciated the efficient assessment and treatment they received.
They also felt the service made it easy to access care, and they could walk in without an appointment and were promptly redirected to other services where needed.
Inspectors said: “Care was evidence-based and person centred, with staff demonstrating good understanding of the scope of the service. Multidisciplinary working supported effective care delivery.
“There was strong teamwork between emergency nurse practitioners [ENPs], general practitioners [GPs] and assessment nurses, and staff described a positive and supportive working culture.”
On safeguarding, inspectors said staff knew how to identify people at risk of abuse, and there was a commitment to take immediate action to keep people safe from abuse and neglect. Any children or adults deemed as vulnerable were prioritised and seen promptly.
Inspectors said the service considered the needs of people with different protected characteristics, including disabled people, and made reasonable adjustments to ensure a patient’s individual needs could be met.
Staff compliance with mandatory training in equality, diversity and human rights was at 100 per cent. The service showed its dedication to reducing health inequalities by adopting values focused on inclusivity.
The service also had access to a Community Health Inclusion Team who supported people experiencing homelessness as well as supporting asylum seekers and refugees. The team also helped to ensure vulnerable individuals were not excluded from care and received support that was sensitive to their unique circumstances.
The service was rated ‘Good’ in the following areas; safe, effective, responsive and well-led. It was given an ‘Outstanding’ rating for being caring. Following the inspection, the hospital maintained its overall ‘Good’ rating.
Dr Katherine Henderson, Clinical Director of Adults’ Urgent and Emergency Care at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “We are extremely proud of this latest report and ratings from the CQC, and I would like to thank the inspectors for their encouraging comments and thoughtful insights.
“The ratings we have achieved are a testament to the hard work and dedication of all our staff, both clinical and non-clinical, working in these services and supporting patients.”
Dr Henderson added: “I am particularly pleased that our rating for being caring has been upgraded from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’ at both sites.
“We know we do not always get everything right, but this is an example of the importance we place on continuous improvement, and ensuring our patients remain at the very centre of everything we do.”
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