Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust's work exemplary, says chief
Hospital care for children and families in Sandwell is a first-class example for others across the country to follow, according to a new report.
Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission rated Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust's care for children, young people and families as outstanding.
The service provides care across Sandwell, Wednesbury, West Bromwich, Smethwick, Oldbury, Rowley Regis and Tipton.
Group director for women and child health, Amanda Geary, said she was delighted with the health watchdog's findings and insisted the trust will not rest on its laurels but keep striving to get better.
A CQC inspection of the whole trust last year found it required improvement.
"This illustrates what I know our staff do every single day," Mrs Geary said.
"Not only that but it also demonstrates to our families that the care they receive from us is of a really high quality.
"We can't be complacent - this is an assessment at a point in time and reflects what we've been doing and are currently doing.
"The challenge now is to maintain it and take that good practice across other specialities we have in the organisation.
"We want every service to be up to a high level, but all services have different challenges.
"There's been an awful lot of work done following the Trust-wide inspection.
It was rated outstanding overall and in the categories for care, responsiveness and leadership - with good ratings for safety and effectiveness.
Patients using the services heaped praise on the care they received, according to the report.
It stated: "Parents and carers of children and young people across all community services we talked to told us they received a good to excellent service.
"We were told staff were very kind and caring and staff were always eager to help."
Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said the trust's care in the area was exemplary.
He said: "The children, young people and families service at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Hospitals Trust sets an example that many could learn from.
"We found staff to be dedicated, kind, caring and patient focused.
"Parents and carers of children and young people told inspectors they always received a good service.
"They commented that staff were always eager to help.
"I am sure that staff should be proud of their achievement."
