At this latest inspection, the service had made some improvements, however, there were still continued breaches of regulation relating to staffing and good management. There was also a new breach for person centred care.

Gill Hodgson-Reilly, CQC deputy director of hospitals in the North West, said: ‘When we inspected urgent and emergency care at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, we were pleased to see the trust had been working hard to make some improvements since the last inspection.

‘Leaders had better oversight of the service, and they were knowledgeable about the challenges and priorities it faced. Also, staff told us that leaders were visible and approachable for them and those using the service, so people could feed back and help drive improvements, particularly around safety and flow through the department.

‘However, some improvements were still needed. For example, the service didn't make sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to always keep people safe. Leaders were aware of this and had plans in place to address it.'

Sam Westwell, chief nurse at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘We welcome the CQC's recognition of the significant progress made within our urgent and emergency care services since the previous inspection.

‘The report highlights improvements across a number of key areas, reflecting the hard work and commitment of our teams to delivering high-quality care for patients.

‘Whilst we are encouraged by this progress, we recognise that there are still areas where further improvement is required. We acknowledge the recommendations relating to staffing, governance arrangements and ensuring privacy and dignity for patients during periods of exceptional pressure.

‘Many of these areas have already been the focus of improvement work since the inspection in November 2025.

‘We have continued to strengthen leadership oversight, workforce planning, training compliance and digital systems, and we will build on this momentum through a comprehensive action plan to address the remaining recommendations.

 ‘We remain committed to providing safe, effective and compassionate care for every patient who comes through our doors.'