The proportion of acute trusts with an overall Care Quality Commission rating that disagrees with at least one of their main hospital sites has tripled over the past decade, analysis reveals.
HSJ looked at instances where an acute trust’s “overall” or “well-led” rating disagreed with the overall rating of at least one of its main hospital sites – either higher or lower.
The gap – which rose from 9.2% in 2016 to 29.8% in 2026 – is a result of big delays in the CQC issuing new trust overall ratings.
It poses a risk that patients or others looking at the trust rating, which is often displayed on providers’ websites and premises, will misinterpret the care quality on offer. It is also frustrating some leaders who feel their trust’s ageing rating is out of kilter with improvements they have made.
Penny Dash highlighted the problem in her 2024 review of CQC’s effectiveness, naming Manchester University Foundation Trust as an example of a trust rated “good” since 2019, despite its hospitals being downgraded in 2023.
MUFT’s trust-level rating remains “good” now, two years on from the review.
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Source: HSJ, 17 August 2026
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