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CQC Inspections Rate Lancaster Maternity Care Good, A&E Requires Improvement

lite News Desk 2 min read

At a glance

  • Unannounced inspections took place in July 2025
  • Royal Lancaster Infirmary maternity rated 'good', A&E 'requires improvement'
  • Overall trust rating remains 'requires improvement'

The Care Quality Commission carried out unannounced inspections of maternity and urgent and emergency services at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust in July 2025. The inspections included Royal Lancaster Infirmary and resulted in updated ratings for several services.

According to the Care Quality Commission, maternity services at Royal Lancaster Infirmary received a 'good' rating following the inspections. Inspectors stated that maternity staff provided exemplary care and made efforts to ensure the wellbeing of women and their babies during the review period.

Urgent and emergency services at Royal Lancaster Infirmary were rated as 'requires improvement' by the Care Quality Commission. Inspectors observed that some waiting areas in A&E were unsuitable, there were delays in patients being seen by specialists, and the paediatric section of A&E was understaffed.

Maternity services at Furness General Hospital and Westmorland General Hospital were also assessed during the inspections. Both hospitals received a 'good' rating for their maternity care, according to the Care Quality Commission.

What the numbers show

  • Inspections were conducted in July 2025
  • Royal Lancaster Infirmary maternity rated 'good'; A&E rated 'requires improvement'
  • Furness General Hospital and Westmorland General Hospital maternity services rated 'good'

The urgent and emergency services at Furness General Hospital were rated 'good' by the Care Quality Commission. This rating was based on findings from the same series of inspections in July 2025.

The overall rating for University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust remains 'requires improvement' following the latest inspection results. This overall rating reflects the combination of service ratings across the trust's hospitals.

Inspectors noted that while maternity care at several sites met the required standards, there were ongoing issues in urgent and emergency services at Royal Lancaster Infirmary. These included unsuitable waiting areas, delays in specialist consultations, and staffing shortages in paediatric A&E.

The Care Quality Commission published its findings on 30 January 2026, summarising the results of the inspections and the current status of service ratings across the trust.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.

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