George Eliot hospital emergency department rated 'good'

The CQC found urgent and emergency care services had improved since a previous inspection in December 2019

Emergency treatment at a Warwickshire hospital has been rated as "good", after a visit by the health watchdog found improvements.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an inspection at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton in April.

Inspectors found urgent and emergency care services had improved since a previous inspection in 2019, where it was rated as "requires improvement".

The hospital welcomed the rating and said it would continue to improve care.

In a report, the CQC said it had carried out an unannounced inspection of the hospital's emergency unit, to review improvements to areas such as medical staffing, culture and governance.

Upgrading the rating to "good", inspectors found care had been planned to meet the needs of local people and had taken account of patients' individual needs.

They also highlighted that the hospital had enough staff to care for patients and to keep them safe, adding that they also managed medicines, infection risk and safety incidents well.

The report also praised an "inclusive culture", stating leaders ran services well and had encouraged staff to develop their skills, where they had felt "respected, supported and valued".

But it also found not all staff had completed relevant training and that while patients had received the right care, documentation was not always kept up-to-date.

'Extremely proud'

Hospital chief executive, Glen Burley, said the report was a "huge vote of confidence" which had reflected the improvements that had been made since the watchdog's last visit to the hospital.

"Our emergency department is busier than ever; but through teamwork, professionalism and a supportive, open culture we are offering quality care to our population, often under very demanding circumstances," he said.

"We are continuing to seek ways to improve our care and reduce the time that people wait to be treated.

"Reading this report makes me extremely proud of my colleagues," he added.