Wigan's hospitals are judged to be 'good' by inspectors

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust received a "good" rating in all of the five key areas – safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led – with the domestic violence advocacy services singled out for special praise.

The trust includes Wigan Infirmary, Wrightington Hospital and Leigh Infirmary. It also oversees the Thomas Linacre Centre, Wigan Health Centre and the Wilmslow Health Centre.

It found improvements had been made for maternity services at Wigan Infirmary, although safety in surgery at both Wigan Infirmary and Wrightington Hospital has gone from "good" to "requires improvement".

But each institution received a "good" rating overall.

An inspector’s report, published today, found that the trust: “Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and took account of their individual needs.

“The trust planned and provided care in a way that met the needs of local people and the communities served. It also worked with others in the wider system and local organisations to plan care.”

During its inspection of services in October, the CQC found leaders who "understood and managed the priorities and issues the trust faced".

“They supported staff to develop their skills and take on more senior roles,” it added.

On safety, inspectors found across the organisation: “The trust managed patient safety incidents well. Staff recognised and reported incidents and near misses. Managers investigated incidents and shared lessons learned with the whole team and the wider trust.”

But it did find some issues. The CQC rated safety in surgery at Wigan Infirmary and Wrightington Hospital as "requires improvement" – a downgrade from the previous inspection.

“In surgery, at Royal Albert Infirmary and Wrightington Hospital, the use and maintenance of facilities and premises did not always keep people safe. In surgery, at all three hospitals, patient records were not always stored securely,” the report said.

In terms of responsiveness, it found the trust provided care in a way that met the needs of local people and communities.

“The trust was inclusive and took account of patients’ individual needs and preferences. Staff made reasonable adjustments to help patients access services. They coordinated care with other services and providers,” the report said.

However, it did note: “Although the trust was meeting national access standards, in some specialities the referral to treatment time was below the national average.

“In critical care there were sometimes delays to patients being discharged,” it added.

Inspectors also singled out a few areas for particular praise. Among those was the domestic violence advocacy service for patients and staff, which won a national nursing award for patient safety.

Inspectors also highlighted a "dragon’s den" contest to submit ideas for improving patient care as an area of particularly good practice, as well as "innovative" work at Wigan Infirmary towards patients who required time-specific critical medicines.