Improvements to care and leadership at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust are recognised in the latest Care Quality Commission report published this week.

Across many of the Trust’s services, the inspectors found staff to be kind, treated people with compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

They said leaders were approachable, experienced and capable, and were helping staff to develop their skills.

There was active engagement between patients, staff and leaders alongside external stakeholders and equality groups to further develop collaboration and improve services.

The inspectors also praised:

• Outstanding practice in physiotherapy, including personalised rehabilitation plans for critical care patients
• A teamwork approach in the A&E Observation Ward to patient care and rehabilitation and rapid assessment services.
• The plaster technicians’ “stop the pressure” initiative to reduce pressure ulcers with plaster casts
• Creation of the Thoracic Wall Injury Support (Twist) service to reduce death and deterioration following discharge of elderly patients who have suffered rib fractures. Their pathways had been recognised and shared nationally

Eight areas of inspection were rated as improving: six at Southport hospital in urgent and emergency care, surgery and end of life care, and two in the children’s and young people’s services at Ormskirk.

Sefton Sexual Health was rated “good”. Overall the Trust remains rated “requires improvement”.

Therese Patten, acting Chief Executive, said: “This report reflects the significant progress the Trust is making. While we recognise there is still much work to do, it also shows us on track to meet our ambition of being rated ‘good’ by 2020.

“I want to thank all our staff for their dedication and hard work that made these improvements to patient care possible.”

Trust Chair Neil Masom said the inspection team had remarked on how different the Trust felt since their last visit in 2017.

“I was also delighted to see the benefits of a more stable leadership recognised by the inspectors.

“That stability has given the Board the confidence to invest strategically and significantly in staffing and our estate, directing our resources to where they are most needed. This year these investments have included:

• £1m to recruit more than 100 additional nursing staff
• A £900,000 refurbishment programme of eight wards at Southport hospital

“We will also invest a further £1.4m over the next 18 months in electronic prescribing and medicines safety.”