The teams at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust are being praised for making 'strong improvements' for patients needing urgent and emergency care, according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The CQC arrived for an unannounced inspection in October and praised staff for demonstrating a positive, compassionate culture with a strong focus on learning and teamworking.

They reported finding 'strong improvements' and ‘meaningful progress’ which included better ambulance handover times and good team working but also identified areas they remain concerned about.

These included timely medical reviews, strengthening infection prevention and control practices, and improving privacy and dignity for people being cared for in overcrowded areas when demand exceeds physical space.

Chief Executive Neil Macdonald said: “We are pleased the CQC has recognised the hard work, commitment, and compassion shown by our teams at a time of sustained demand.

“Their dedication to improving services for patients is clear and I want to thank them for this.

“We are encouraged by the upgrades in key areas such as effectiveness and responsiveness but change on this scale takes time.

“We fully acknowledge the findings and know we have more work to do.

“We are continuing with our improvement plan and, prior to receiving the report, we had identified that this year, one of our six priorities will be to eliminate corridor care.

“We are committed to ensuring all patients receive safe, timely, and dignified care.”

The Trust will now work on making further improvements and to address longstanding capacity challenges, construction is underway on a new, purpose-built Emergency Care Building with two large cranes outside the main entrance.

Staff have played an important role in shaping the design of the new building which will open in 2029.

While the building will take several years to complete, it represents a significant step toward creating the space, privacy, and modern clinical environment patients and staff deserve.