Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to announce that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated our maternity services at both Winchester’s Royal Hampshire County Hospital and Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital as Good across all domains, following an inspection in July 2025.
This marks the significant improvements made following the previous inspection and rating of Requires Improvement, reflecting the dedication and hard work of our maternity teams in delivering high-quality, safe and compassionate care for women, babies and families across our communities.
In their report, the CQC praised the improvements made across both maternity sites, upgrading both departments’ safe and well-led ratings from Requires Improvement to Good. The domains of effective, caring and responsive were also re-rated as Good.
The CQC also recognised three areas of outstanding practice: the kindness, compassion and dignity shown, the way the team respond to people’s immediate needs and the learning, improvement and innovative culture.
They also highlighted that all staff were positive about working in Hampshire Hospitals’ maternity services, without exception. Women and their families described being treated with compassion and kindness, and reported that staff were responsive to their needs, supportive throughout their care, and that they felt safe.
Speaking about the re-rating, Julie Dawes, Chief Nurse at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“We are very grateful to the team of inspectors who visited our maternity services, and we are thrilled with the re-rating. Achieving a Good rating across all domains at Winchester and Basingstoke maternity sites is testament to the dedication, professionalism, and compassion of our staff.
“As a learning organisation, we take pride in reflecting on feedback, making improvements, and building on our successes. Our teams have worked tirelessly to provide safe, high-quality care for women, babies, and families across our communities, and we will continue to strive to make our services even better.”
The final reports will be published on the CQC’s website in the coming days.
