SIX months after being told to improve, the only hospital in the borough with an accident and emergency department has been rated as good in all areas of care following an inspection by a health watchdog.

In September, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) made an unannounced visit to The Royal Albert Edward Infirmary following “concerns that were raised about the safety of services provided to patients”.

The hospital’s Paediatric Emergency Care Centre (PECC), Emergency Care Centre (ECC) and Rainbow Ward were inspected and all were found to require improvement.

However, in the new report, published on March 9, the hospital has been rated as good in all categories with the maternity and gynaecology department being the only sector told to improve due to issues including staffing levels.

The end of life care provided by the hospital however was rated as outstanding - the highest possible result.

The report said: “Our rating for this hospital went up. We rated safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led as good.

“Children and young people’s services improved and urgent and emergency care and medical care remained the same.

“We previously inspected maternity jointly with gynaecology however during this inspection we only inspected maternity services.

“The service did not always have adequate medical and midwifery staffing levels to keep women and babies safe from avoidable harm and abuse and to provide the right care and treatment.”

Andrew Foster, chief executive of the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, that runs the boroughs hospitals, said: “We are pleased to receive this report and its ratings and to acknowledge that the CQC has worked well with us.

“To be rated ‘Good’ for each Hospital (within the trust), and for each main heading, is an outstanding achievement given the pressures that the organisation has been under over the winter period.

“It is testament to the commitment staff have to providing safe, effective and compassionate care to patients.”