Medical care at Nottingham's two main hospitals has been rated Good by the health regulator, following an unannounced inspection earlier this year.

Good across all five areas

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated medical care, including care for older people, as Good at both the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) and Nottingham City Hospital, with Good scores in all five inspection areas: safe, effective, caring, well-led and responsive. The report was published on Friday 6 November, after inspectors visited unannounced in April and May 2026.

Inspectors said staff treated people with kindness and dignity, worked well with partner organisations to support patients after they left hospital, and ran creative projects to improve people's experience of care. Patients and relatives told inspectors they were happy with the care they received.

Tracy Pilcher, chief nurse at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said the ratings reflected the hard work and care of colleagues and should give the community confidence about the level of care they could expect.

Emergency care still needs improvement

The overall picture is more mixed. Nottingham City Hospital remains rated Good overall, but QMC remains rated Requires Improvement overall. Urgent and emergency care at QMC was again rated Requires Improvement, reflecting continued pressure in the emergency department, including the impact of corridor care.

Emergency care in Nottingham has been very challenging this year, the trust said, with some of the highest admissions, walk-ins and ambulance attendances ever recorded this summer — up almost 6% in A&E and 18% in other areas. The trust is launching a new frailty pathway pilot with the East Midlands Ambulance Service to support elderly and frail patients before they need to attend the emergency department, and has apologised to patients cared for in corridors, saying it is working to end the practice.