Switalskis specialist medical negligence solicitors have responded after a Care Quality Commission inspection (CQC) identified significant shortfalls in standards of care at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust.

The CQC carried out an unannounced inspection following reports of emerging risks to patients and because some services had not been assessed for some time.

Inspectors found a decline in the safety and quality of care, identifying issues including delays in urgent and emergency care, staff pressures, infection prevention, pain management and the culture within the hospital.

The Queen Eliabeth Hospital is currently rated ‘Requires Improvement’ by the CQC.

Issues affecting patient care at Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn

Patients told inspectors they sometimes waited for long periods for assistance after using call bells, particularly when staff were busy.

The CQC also found that pain was not always documented as being checked at regular intervals and that staffing pressures sometimes meant patients had to wait for pain relief. Inspectors also identified concerns around infection prevention and control.

Inspectors also identified concerns around the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s safety culture and governance. Although staff understood how to raise concerns and report incidents, some told inspectors that incident reporting could be used as a punitive measure. The CQC also found that investigations were not always used effectively to support learning and improvement.

Despite these findings, patients generally spoke positively about individual members of staff. They described staff as caring and kind, while patients in the emergency department said they felt cared for and supported.

‘Patients must be able to have confidence in the care they receive’

Chantelle Cooper, a specialist medical negligence solicitor at Switalskis, said:

“The findings of this inspection are concerning, particularly as they follow earlier issues raised about standards of care and patient safety at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn.

“Patients entering hospital should be able to have confidence that they will receive safe and appropriate care, and that any deterioration in their condition will be recognised and acted upon promptly.

“The findings around staff culture are also important. Healthcare professionals need to feel supported and able to speak up when they identify risks to patients. If people feel discouraged from raising concerns, opportunities to address problems before patients come to harm could be missed.

“The Trust has accepted the seriousness of the findings. Given the issues raised both now and previously, patients and their families will understandably want reassurance that the necessary improvements are made and sustained.”

Previous concerns at Queen Elizabeth Hospital

The latest inspection follows earlier findings about standards of care and patient safety at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

In September 2025, the hospital was ranked 133rd out of 134 acute hospital trusts in England in NHS England’s performance league tables.

The ranking considered a range of measures including waiting times, access to treatment, patient safety and financial performance.

Separate concerns were also raised following a review of surgical care at the hospital. The review identified serious failings within the surgical unit, including issues around workplace culture and the potential impact on patient safety.

Further regulatory action followed in 2026. In May, the CQC issued a warning notice to The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust relating to safe care and treatment, medicines management, governance and patients’ privacy and dignity.

A separate CQC assessment of surgical services also identified issues including incomplete patient risk assessments, incident reporting and environmental and equipment risks. Surgical services were subsequently rated Requires Improvement.

Seen alongside these earlier findings, the latest inspection is likely to raise further questions about whether improvements are being made quickly enough to protect patients and ensure consistently safe care.

When can poor hospital care amount to medical negligence?

A poor experience in hospital, or concerns raised by the CQC, do not automatically mean that medical negligence has occurred.

However, healthcare professionals have a responsibility to provide care that meets an appropriate standard. Where failures in care result in a patient suffering an avoidable injury or an existing condition becoming worse, it may be appropriate to investigate what happened.

Patients may be able to bring a medical negligence claim if substandard hospital care caused them avoidable harm.

This could include cases involving:

• a failure to recognise or respond to deterioration in a patient’s condition
• delays in providing appropriate treatment
• inadequate monitoring or observations
• medication errors
• avoidable infections
• failures in communication between healthcare professionals.

Whether a medical negligence claim is possible will depend on the individual circumstances. Independent medical evidence will usually be needed to establish whether the care provided fell below an appropriate standard and whether this caused avoidable harm.

Understanding what happened to you

Patients and families do not always know whether something went wrong with the care they received.

They may know that their condition deteriorated unexpectedly, treatment was delayed or they experienced complications, without knowing whether those outcomes could have been avoided.

At Switalskis, our medical negligence solicitors can obtain and review medical records, investigate the care provided and work with independent medical experts where necessary to establish whether the appropriate standard of care was met.

If you are concerned about treatment you or someone close to you received at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, we can provide confidential, no-obligation advice about your circumstances and help you understand whether there may be grounds for a claim.

How Switalskis medical negligence experts can support you

For compassionate advice from our experienced medical negligence team, contact us today for a free, confidential conversation on our dedicated medical negligence support line on 0800 995 6068 or get in touch through our website.