East Surrey Hospital Faces CQC Warning After Serious Emergency Care Failings

East Surrey Hospital in Redhill has received a warning notice from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after inspectors identified significant safety concerns across its urgent and emergency care and medical services.

Following inspections in March, the regulator downgraded both services, citing problems with patient safety, staffing, management and the hospital environment. The hospital is part of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which provides acute hospital services across West Sussex and East Surrey.

Urgent and emergency care was rated inadequate for safety, down from good, while responsiveness fell from outstanding to requires improvement. Effectiveness and leadership were also downgraded from good to requires improvement, while caring was rated good.

The service breached four regulations covering safe care and treatment, premises and equipment, staffing and good governance.

Medical care was also rated requires improvement overall, with safety and leadership receiving the same rating. Caring and effectiveness remained good, while responsiveness fell from good to requires improvement. CQC identified four regulatory breaches involving safe care, management, staffing, safeguarding and person-centred care.

CQC found that some patients, including people with mental health needs, frailty and complex care requirements, were left in corridors for extended periods, sometimes exceeding 18 hours. These patients did not have access to call bells to request assistance if their condition changed.

Ambulance arrivals also faced delays in initial assessment. Inspectors found that triage waits could reach 90 minutes, despite national guidance requiring assessment within 15 minutes. Patients were assessed according to their arrival time rather than clinical urgency, increasing the risk of deterioration going unnoticed.

Fire safety was another major concern. Several emergency exit doors could be accessed without activating the fire alarm, while some escape routes were deliberately blocked with bins, lockers and equipment to prevent confused patients from leaving wards.

Inspectors also found that the trust had not provided sufficient ward space, with emergency beds placed between existing beds, restricting comfort and staff access during emergencies.

Maintenance problems included broken air conditioning that left staff working in temperatures above 30°C and a socket installation that had been delayed for two years. Fire exits also failed to lead to safe areas, while vulnerable patients were not always adequately supervised.

The regulator issued a warning notice requiring the trust to take urgent action to improve triage, the management of patients cared for in corridors, and support for children and adults experiencing mental ill-health.

CQC deputy director of hospitals, secondary and specialist care in the South East, Amanda Williams, said inspectors had found serious weaknesses in the systems supporting patient care, despite staff demonstrating kindness and compassion.

She highlighted concerns about the gap between frontline staff raising issues and hospital leaders taking action, particularly around unsuitable escalation bed spaces. CQC said it would continue monitoring the trust to ensure the required improvements were made and patients remained safe.

Despite the concerns, inspectors recognised positive aspects of care. Patients and relatives reported that staff were kind and took time to explain their treatment. Hospital volunteers also spent time talking with patients during lengthy waits, while staff generally communicated effectively with ambulance crews.

In medical wards, inspectors found that teams supported one another during demanding shifts and carried out regular checks of emergency equipment, including resuscitation trolleys.

Staff also made efforts to maintain patients’ dignity when providing end-of-life care behind closed curtains because private rooms were unavailable, although inspectors acknowledged this was not the standard of care staff wanted to provide.

CQC said rapid improvements were required across both services, with continued monitoring to ensure the trust addressed the identified safety and management failures.

Stay informed with the stories shaping health and social care.

Register with The Daily Round for the latest sector news, inspections & reports, wellbeing content, workforce insights, expert features and practical updates—delivered free to your inbox.