A report published on 30 January 2026 says the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has recorded significant improvements at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, part of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), particularly in medical care, leadership and governance.
CQC inspectors carried out focused inspections of services in mid‑July 2025 (inspections took place on 15–17 July 2025) and found improvements in the way services are run and in the quality of patient care compared with previous inspections. The overall rating for the trust remains ‘Requires Improvement’, but the Royal Lancaster Infirmary’s medical care and several service‑level judgements were rated higher than at the last inspection.
Scott McLean, Interim Chief Executive of UHMBT, said the findings recognised the efforts of staff. “Our teams have worked incredibly hard to significantly improve our services, and we are pleased this has been recognised by the CQC following their recent inspection,” he said. The Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) welcomed the improvements and said progress at local hospital sites supports the system’s longer‑term Roadmap 2030 planning.
Those positive results are also important to the national New Hospitals Programme, which is considering replacement options for the ageing Royal Lancaster Infirmary site. Local leaders — including Trust chair Andrew Stephenson — said the report is an encouraging sign that care in Lancaster is becoming safer and better led, though they warned there is more work to do to sustain and build on the improvements.
