NHS Trust with hospitals in Doncaster, Mexborough and Worksop rated 'good' by inspectors

The trust, which oversees hospitals in Doncaster, Mexborough, Worksop and Retford scored good ratings on management, care, effectiveness and responsiveness but scored ‘requires improvement’ on safety.

All four individual hospitals within the trust scored ‘good' ratings.

Hospital bosses said the score was down to the hard work of staff but added the trust was on an improvement journey.

Inspectors praised staff and said doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals ‘worked together as a team to benefit patients’ and ‘supported each other to provide good care’.

They also said staff treated patients with 'compassion and kindness' while involving and properly informing families on their relatives' conditions.

CQC officials reported that services were ‘planned and delivered in a way to meet the individual’s needs and the local population’ taking into account people with complex needs,

But inspectors noted Doncaster Royal Infirmary’s A&E went from ‘inadequate’ to ‘requires improvement’ and inspectors also said that ‘not all staff were compliant with mandatory training requirements’.

They also said the midwife to birth ratio on the maternity unit was ‘worse than the ratio’ recommended by the Royal College of Midwives.

The trust’s chief executive, Richard Parker, said: “I am extremely pleased that the trust has been recognised as ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission – this is an achievement which reflects the hard work, commitment and expertise of our colleagues who go above and beyond every day in the delivery of high quality care and treatment.

“We have worked tirelessly to improve the services we offer for patients, embedding a culture of quality improvement within our teams, as well as a desire to always do better for our communities. I am delighted that colleagues have been recognised for their efforts, and I share my thanks with every member of Team DBTH.

He added: “The Trust is on an improvement journey, on which I am pleased to reflect upon some remarkable progress.

“Now we must ensure that we do not get complacent and instead maintain this standard for our communities.”