Lancashire Teaching Hospitals: Leadership praised in fresh report

The report praised staff at the Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble hospitals

Two Lancashire hospitals have made improvements in their management although concerns have been raised about record-keeping.

The Care Quality Commission said leadership at Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble hospitals had moved from "requires improvement" to "good".

Inspectors said staff felt "respected, supported and valued" and were "focussed" on patients' needs.

However, records were found to be not always stored securely.

Risk assessments were also not always completed, and staff did not always document the timings of patients' medication, the CQC found.

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust's overall rating of "requires improvement" remains the same.

'Compassion and kindness'

The CQC inspected urgent and emergency care and medical care at Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble hospitals, and surgery and critical care at Royal Preston in July.

It said staff were "committed to improving services" and were clear in their roles, while staff care was "good" with patients treated with "compassion and kindness".

The trust provides district general hospital services to a community of 390,000 from the two hospitals and its Specialist Mobility and Rehabilitation Centre.

Chief executive Karen Partington said: "We are delighted that the CQC has recognised the improvements we have made over the last year.

"It's great to see that we are moving in the right direction."