POOLE Hospital has regained its 'good' rating from the Care Quality Commission after being told in 2016 that it 'required improvement'.

Inspectors visited the trust in September last year, following a comprehensive assessment in January 2016, and looked at areas highlighted for improvement – including services for children and young people, and critical care.

They said that services for children and young people and critical care now join urgent and emergency care, medical care (including elderly medicine) and maternity as being rated ‘good.’

However Inspectors found that whilst surgery was rated ‘good’ for being effective, caring, responsive and well-led, overall it ‘requires improvement.’

In their report, the CQC said it found a number of areas of ‘outstanding practice’, including the neonatal unit’s engagement with parents and families and Gully’s Place end of life suite for younger patients.

“The trust had an experienced and credible leadership team with the skills, abilities and commitment to provide high-quality services,” the report states.

“Effective, caring, responsive and well-led care were good – the trust had a good track record in delivering effective, caring and well-led care and made significant improvements in the responsiveness of services we inspected,” said the report.

Debbie Fleming, chief executive, said the improved rating reflected the 'positive culture' across the organisation, and the hard work carried out by staff to address the issues highlighted at the time of the last inspection.

“I’m delighted that the CQC has improved our rating,” she said. “Staff across the organisation work together every day to deliver high quality, patient centred care – despite our challenging financial position and a very turbulent environment.

“I could not be more proud of their on-going commitment and professionalism, and would like to thank each one of them for their personal contribution which makes such a difference for our patients”.

The CQC has also published the trust’s ‘use of resources’ report, which is based on an assessment of how productively resources are used to maximise patient benefits, undertaken by NHS Improvement. Overall, inspectors found that the trust uses its resources effectively, and have issued an indicative rating of ‘good’ for this new measure.

CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (South), Amanda Stanford, said: “I am pleased to note that the Trust has taken our previous reports and used them to implement improvement. The trust already had a good track record in delivering effective, caring and well led care and has made significant improvements in the responsiveness of services we inspected."