Fairfield General Hospital services require improvement after CQC inspection

Saturday, 27 June 2026 13:50

By David Murphy

Urgent and emergency care and medical services at Fairfield General Hospital have been rated as requires improvement by the Care Quality Commission following an inspection carried out in January.

Inspectors found caring remained good and the effective rating improved to good, but identified ongoing concerns over staffing, corridor care and waiting times.

The inspection formed part of the Care Quality Commission's urgent and emergency care system pressures review and focused on urgent and emergency care and medical services at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, which is managed by Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.

Following the inspection, both services were again rated good for caring. The effective rating improved from requires improvement to good, while the safe, responsive and well led ratings remained requires improvement.

Gill Hodgson Reilly, deputy director of operations for the north west at the Care Quality Commission, said staff were working hard under significant pressure but leaders needed to address staffing shortages.

She said staff in medical services told inspectors they did not always have enough time to provide the quality of care patients deserved. Inspectors observed occasions where patients needing one to one care were left alone, delays in responding to call bells and people not always receiving support with meals.

Inspectors also said routine corridor care in the emergency department affected patients' privacy and wellbeing. While patients were assessed and understood the next steps in their treatment, they were not always given enough information about why they were being treated in corridors or how long they were likely to remain there.

The inspection also identified positive findings. Staff made reasonable adjustments for autistic people and patients with dementia, learning disabilities and sensory impairments. Inspectors also found improvements in the average length of stay in medical services, which had reduced from 50 days to 42 days, and praised staff's awareness of sepsis and improvements in facilities for people experiencing mental health crises.

The Care Quality Commission said it would continue to monitor the hospital closely and expected leaders to make rapid improvements.

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