The trust was rated requires improvement by the CQC following an inspection in September 2025.

Antoinette Smith, CQC deputy director of hospitals in London, said: ‘It was concerning that staff told us about a culture of fear, and that their confidence in the organisation's response to concerns, and communication remained low.'

The CQC noted significant changes to board leadership since its last inspection in 2022 which rated the trust's well-led key question as good.

While noting leaders had ‘clear ambition and the trust had a well-articulated strategy', Smith said these ‘hadn't yet translated consistently into a positive culture or an improved staff experience that also improved people's care across the organisation'.

Staff expressed concerns their feedback wasn't always acted upon and that decisions were often made without engagement with staff. They also reported a disconnect between the trust's stated values and what they experienced in their day-to-day roles.

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, disabled and LGBTQ+ staff at the trust also reported mixed experiences of career development and progression opportunities within the organisation.

Since the CQC carried out their well-led inspection last autumn, the trust has exited NHS Oversight Framework Segment 4 and has been removed from the Recovery Support Programme.

King's also rated in the top five most improved NHS trusts in the country for the NHS Staff survey results in 2025, compared to 2024.

Matthew Trainer, who joined the trust as its new chief executive this month, said: ‘Staff need to feel safe when they raise concerns, and we need to make sure our leaders live the trust's values – to be caring, collaborative, inclusive and innovative – and that we are seen to be doing so by our staff.'