The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust has today been placed in the lowest priority band for inspection by independent regulator Care Quality Commission (CQC) for the third consecutive time. 

A CQC Intelligent Monitoring report places all acute healthcare trusts into one of six priority bands for inspection.

It assesses them against a range of indicators that reflect information on the quality of care including patient experience, staff experience and performance.

The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust was assessed against 96 indicators and received a risk score of 1 out of a possible 192, placing it in band six - the lowest priority for inspection.

Chief executive James Scott said: "We work very hard to ensure our patients receive safe, quality care and it is testimony to the rigour and dedication of our staff that we have maintained our band six standing for the third time running.

“There is never room for complacency at the trust; in addition to addressing the one risk identified by the CQC’s Intelligent Monitoring report, we have continued to focus on the safety of our patients as part of our plan to become one of the safest hospitals in the country.”

The CQC introduced its new rating system in July 2014, which places trusts into one of six risk bands relating to the five key questions the regulator asks – ‘are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?’