Staff at our hospital are celebrating after receiving an ‘Outstanding’ rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Our hospital, now part of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, is the first children's hospital of its type to receive such an accolade.

Visiting in May 2016, inspectors looked at the following core services; A&E, medical care, surgery, paediatric critical care, neonatal care, transition services, end of life care, outpatients and child and adolescent mental health services.

The trust was rated as ‘outstanding’ for whether its services were caring, effective and responsive, ‘good’ for whether its services were well-led and ‘requires improvement’ for whether its services were safe.

Sarah-Jane Marsh, Chief Executive of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I cannot tell you how thoroughly overwhelmed and excited everyone at Birmingham Children’s Hospital is that our hard work and unwavering commitment has been recognised in an Outstanding rating from the CQC!

“For the last five years we have been all about building and developing one giant healthcare team with 3,700 members - Team BCH - and it is wonderful to see this shining through in the report, from how well we work across different specialties and disciplines, to the way we support innovation, ensuring we are always at the forefront of what is possible – with children and young people in our hearts.

“And it’s children, young people and families who inspire us every day – so to hear that they think we really go the extra mile for them, keeping them informed and supported in their care, while treating them with dignity and respect, means the world to us.

"The areas flagged for improvement are fair as we know we have more to do, particularly in neonates and community mental health, and they have been a priority for us for some time. I am confident that the work we are undertaking will ensure that patients and families receive a high standard of care now, and long into the future – and that soon every service will be ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ – especially now we can tap into the expertise of the amazing teams at Birmingham Women’s Hospital.”

Dame Christine Braddock, Chairman of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: "This report really shows that when you invest in your people and have a clear strategy you can do great things. I really want to congratulate and thank every member of staff at Birmingham Children’s Hospital for the important role they've played in delivering great care every day, and of course our Chief Executive Sarah-Jane and her executive team for their expert leadership that has helped get our hospital to where it is today."

The full report can be found on the CQC website: www.cqc.org.uk/provider/RQ3.