Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust Rated Requires Improvement for Leadership

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has downgraded the leadership rating of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust from Outstanding to Requires Improvement following an inspection carried out in November 2025.

The inspection formed part of the CQC’s ongoing monitoring programme for NHS trusts. Following its findings, the regulator identified a breach of regulations relating to governance and management and issued the trust with a Warning Notice, requiring immediate improvements.

Inspectors found concerns about organisational culture, governance and staff confidence in speaking up. Staff reported difficulties raising concerns through formal channels, while workforce survey data showed employees from ethnic minority backgrounds and disabled staff experienced higher levels of bullying and harassment and fewer opportunities for career progression than other colleagues.

The CQC also found inequalities in access to services. People living in more deprived communities experienced longer waiting times and lower attendance at appointments, while systems to identify and support autistic people, people with a learning disability and those with additional communication needs were not consistently effective. Inspectors also found that although the trust received around 650 complaints each year, it did not have a dedicated complaints team, resulting in delayed responses and inconsistent complaint handling.

Despite these concerns, inspectors identified several areas of good practice. The trust was working with local health partners to help older and frail people receive more care within the community, including embedding specialist doctors into community teams. It had also expanded access to diagnostic services by opening additional local facilities for scans and blood tests, helping people receive tests closer to home.

Inspectors also recognised examples of frontline staff leading practical improvements to patient care. These included changes to ward processes that enabled patients to receive assistance with personal care more quickly.

The CQC said it will continue to monitor the trust while improvements are implemented.

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