One in eight NHS trusts has been told it must urgently improve the care it provides by a new regulator publishing ratings on England’s 392 trusts.
The assessments by the Care Quality Commission show a drop in the number of hospitals meeting basic standards in areas such as hygiene and safety.
But it also said more services than ever could be rated good or excellent.
From April, the CQC will gain new powers to be able to shut any of the 47 underachieving trusts down.
The new commission, which took over the watchdog duties of the old Healthcare Commission earlier this year, pointed out a number of successes in its report.
These included what it called the notable achievement of most patients in England receiving hospital treatment within 18 weeks.
Read more at BBC Health.
Tags: CQC
