Following an February 2025 inspection, the warning notice was issued regarding treating people with dignity and respect, safeguarding, the safety of premises and equipment, staffing and how the service was managed.  

Karen Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the North, said: ‘When we inspected the urgent and emergency services, previous concerns still hadn't been addressed yet, which continued to place people at risk. Continued issues included poor flow within the department and through to the wards which was still delaying discharges. This led to significant delays in people receiving treatment and their conditions deteriorating as a result.'

The CQC observed people held in ambulances for long periods due to limited capacity.

A patient with suspected sepsis was seen not receiving treatment in accordance with national guidance while another with a learning disability was not given proper attention after becoming agitated.

The CQC said corridor care had become ‘normalised' due to staffing shortages and high demand with people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions experiencing longer waits.

Additionally, the regulator said the trust had not addressed previous concerns regarding cleanliness and the regular testing of equipment.

The trust has received £7.5m since the inspection to make improvements to the emergency department environment.

Jane Tomkinson, chief executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘We are disappointed by the recent rating of our urgent and emergency care services by the CQC following their unannounced inspection in February 2025. Whilst we have seen improvements, it is clear the actions taken in the last 12 months need to be enhanced to consistently deliver the experience and care our patients deserve.

‘During the inspection and on receipt of the warning notice we took immediate action. Our focus remains on addressing some long-standing challenges and we are committed to supporting our teams to ensure that the actions we take lead to sustainable improvements in our services.

‘We will continue to work closely with our regulators and we anticipate a further inspection in due course where the improvements will be demonstrated.'