HCA Healthcare UK The Wellington Hospital

Updated 16 June 2023

The Wellington Hospital is the largest private hospital in the United Kingdom (UK), it is owned and provided by Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) International Limited. The hospital is located in St Johns Wood in the London Borough of Westminster. The hospital has an urgent treatment centre but does not provide an Accident and Emergency service, however there are several NHS services within a four-mile radius. Services are provided from four buildings, three of which are located on Wellington Road; the North, Central and South buildings and one on Lodge Road called the Platinum Medical Centre.

The Wellington hospital is registered for the following regulated activities:

• Treatment of disease, disorder, or injury.
• Surgical procedures.
• Diagnostic and screening procedures.
• Management of blood and blood derived products.
• Family planning Services.

The Wellington Hospital provides services to both UK and international patients with medical insurance, patients sponsored through their respective embassies, self-funded treatments and a small number of patients referred through NHS contracts. In the year 2022, the surgical services attended to a total 4704 patients with private medical insurance, 1278 self-paying patients, 922 NHS patients and 233 patients through their respective embassies.

There were 73 theatre staff employed at the hospital, 26 employed consultants and 424 consultants with practising privileges.

Data requested from the hospital was from the period March 2022 to February 2023, as data from March 2023 was still in the process of being collated and validated and not available until April 2023. Therefore, the reporting period referred to in the report represents data from March 2022 to February 2023, unless stated otherwise.

The number of surgeries carried out in the reporting period was 5724 and the number of cardiac catheterization laboratories (also known as Cath Labs) in the same reporting period was 1470. The top three surgeries performed at the hospital were spinal, orthopaedic, and general surgery. Other surgeries performed at this hospital included, cardiothoracic surgery, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, gynaecology, ears, nose and throat surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, breast surgery, and much more. The were 12 operating theatres to facilitate the surgeries.

Updated 16 June 2023

The rating of the core service inspected ​improved​. We rated it as ​outstanding​ because:

Patients were protected by a strong comprehensive safety system with a focus on openness, transparency and learning when things went wrong. The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service-controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.

Staff provided good care and treatment, gave patients enough to eat and drink, and gave them pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available seven days a week.

Patients were truly respected and valued as individuals and were empowered practically and emotionally as partners in their care. Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families, and carers.

Services were tailored to meet the needs of individual patients and were delivered in a way to ensure flexibility choice and continuity of care. The service made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait for treatment.

The leadership, governance and culture were used to drive and improve the delivery of high quality person centred care. Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported, and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

Updated 13 February 2017

Medical care was the main activity of the hospital.

The medical specialities were located in three buildings (south, north and the platinum medical centre).

As part of this inspection End of life care  was also reviewed and is included in this report as the numbers of patients receiving end of life care at the hospital was low.

We rated this service as good because it was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. 

Updated 13 February 2017

The hospital has two critical care units in two separate buildings. The north building has a 15-bedded intensive care unit for level 3 care and the south building has a nine-bedded intensive care unit for level 3 care and a seven-bedded high dependency unit for level 2 care.

The south unit has two negative pressure rooms with linked anterooms.

We rated this service as good because it was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Updated 13 February 2017

The Outpatient department  provided facilities for consultants with practising privileges to assess and examine patients and to provide clinical areas where minor procedures can be undertaken. The outpatient department was situated within the Platinum Medical Centre (PMC).

Outpatient diagnostic imaging was mainly conducted from the PMC. Inpatient imaging was provided from the South building. In the North building there were outpatient therapy services which included; physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy.

As part of this inspection Children and young persons services were also reviewed and is included in this report as the numbers of patients receiving this service at the hospital was low and only restricted to outpatients. The service is supported by a Paediatric Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist and paediatric staff nurses.

We rated this service as good because it was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Updated 16 June 2023

Our rating of this service ​improved​. We rated it as ​outstanding​ because:

The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service-controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.

Staff provided good care and treatment, gave patients enough to eat and drink, and gave them pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available seven days a week.

Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families, and carers.

The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait for treatment.

Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported, and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

Updated 13 February 2017

We do not currently have a legal duty to rate this service or the regulated activities it provides but we highlight good practice and issues that The Wellington Hospital needs to improve.