A health watchdog has praised care at a Leeds hospital, a year after it was criticised.
Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited St James’s Hospital unannounced after complaints were received.
They found all standards around the care and welfare of patients and their privacy, dignity and independence were being met.
Previous inspections in 2011 had found issues and improvements were ordered. At the start of December 2012 the CQC sent a team to visit the medical admissions wards in Chancellor Wing at St James’s as concerns had been raised.
They also went to a respiratory medicine ward and a medical ward for older people.
The inspectors’ report said: “Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people’s safety and welfare.
“People we spoke with said they were very satisfied with their care and treatment.”
Comments from patients included: “The nurses are wonderful, I can’t say a bad word against them”, “the nurses are angels” and “brilliant care and they explain everything.”
Inspectors said that staff were respectful and treated patients with kindness and compassion.
However an issue around staffing was highlighted when on one occasion there were too few staff with only two nurses for a night shift on a ward with 28 patients.
A meeting of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust directors was told that managers would review the incident.
Trust medical director Pete Belfield said the overall verdict was positive: “I think it’s a significant step forward from how the report would’ve read a year ago.”
Non-executive director Mark Chamberlain added: “We should take some assurance but not become complacent.”
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