Staffing Shortages Continue to Affect Care at Rampton Hospital, CQC Finds

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated the high secure hospital service at Rampton Hospital, run by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, as requires improvement again following an inspection in April 2026.

Rampton is a high secure mental health hospital for people detained under the Mental Health Act. The CQC inspection followed concerns raised by whistleblowers and people using the service about safety and staff wellbeing amid low staffing levels. The regulator had also become aware of instances of people being confined during the day because of staff shortages.

Inspectors identified seven breaches of regulations covering staffing, safe care and treatment, dignity and respect, person-centred care, premises and overall management. The trust has since developed an action plan with measurable improvements agreed with the CQC.

The hospital’s rating for responsiveness has fallen from Good to Requires Improvement. Its effectiveness remains rated Good, while safety, caring and leadership remain rated Requires Improvement.

According to the CQC, staffing shortages affected almost every aspect of care. Leaders sometimes had to move staff between wards at short notice, leaving some people supported by staff unfamiliar with their needs. People reported feeling more anxious as a result. Planned activities and therapy sessions were also missed when staff were redeployed to cover ward shifts, with some people saying this had affected their progress.

Inspectors also raised concerns about how restrictions on people’s choices were applied, recorded and communicated. The service was not consistently meeting the needs of autistic people and people with a learning disability, including adapting ward environments to accommodate sensory needs.

Other findings included inconsistent adherence to medicines management procedures, increasing the risk of errors, and a case in which a person waited more than 24 hours for treatment for a fractured wrist because secure transport could not be arranged quickly enough.

The CQC said the trust had not consistently learned from previous concerns, including independent reviews of care for autistic people and people with a learning disability.

However, inspectors also identified positive practice. Staff demonstrated dedication and compassion, particularly in the women’s service, while the reducing restrictive practice team had helped some people spend less time in long-term segregation. Leaders had also introduced early-stage approaches intended to reduce reliance on staff-intensive observation and support recovery.

Victoria Green, the CQC’s deputy director of mental health in Nottinghamshire, said the regulator would continue to monitor the hospital closely to ensure improvements lead to safer, more responsive care.

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