A warning notice was issued to East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) following the inspection in September 2025.

Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC deputy director of hospitals in the East of England, said: ‘When we inspected The Ipswich Hospital, we found staff were kind and working hard to meet people's needs under high pressure, but weren't always able to do so safely.'

Jenkinson noted some people had waited up to 20 hours to be treated or admitted to medical wards, due to a lack of capacity because of delayed discharges, with some patients being cared for in corridors.

The CQC also noted staff shortages could further impact people's safety and morale. 

However, the regulator acknowledged the trust was working to address these issues and introduced an electronic record system in October 2025.

ESNEFT said it was taking a number of additional measures to improve the experience for patients who temporarily received care in a corridors and was striving to increase training compliance and improve patient flow.

The trust said further improvements were being driven through its Fundamentals of Care programme, focusing on leadership and staff experience, patient safety, essential care, discharge planning and communication, and infection prevention and control.

Adrian Marr, interim chief executive, said: ‘While we are disappointed with the overall rating, the report also reflects the dedication, compassion and professionalism shown by our staff.

‘We recognise the areas where we must do better, and we are already acting on the CQC's findings. I want to thank all our teams for their ongoing commitment and kindness.

‘We will continue to work at pace to deliver the improvements our patients and their families rightly expect.'