CHILDREN'S inpatient services at a Wirral hospital have been rated as some of the best in the country by a national health watchdog.

Of the 137 children’s units assessed as part of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) National Survey, the services at Wirral Women and Children's Hospital fared "better than most" in a number of categories.

Thousands of young patients were interviewed as part of the survey.

Wirral Women and Children’s Hospital out-performed other national trusts in areas like the privacy and dignity provided to young patients, communication with parents and the efficiency of our staff. 

Jill Galvani, director of nursing and midwifery at Wirral University Teaching Hospital said: “These results are a fantastic reflection of all the great work that takes place within our children’s inpatient services.

“Our hard-working staff can take enormous pride not only in achieving national recognition amongst their peers, but more importantly because this feedback has come from the people who matter most to our organisation; our patients.”

The trust also excelled in areas of the CQC survey that assessed the support and information provided to parents and carers of young patients.

Abi Young is a staff Nurse on the children’s ward.

She said: “We’re all thrilled with the results but I’m not surprised by them. This team has always worked extremely hard to make sure parents feel included and informed every step of the way.

“As a children’s nurse it’s important to remember that you are responsible for the most precious person in someone’s life.

“For anyone to see their child in hospital must be an awful experience. The most effective way to make them feel better is to provide them with all the information they need.

“Everything we do is always about meeting the needs of our patients and their family.”

As part of the findings, the children’s nursing staff were also commended by parents and patients for their friendly manner and teamwork on the ward, as well as the amount of time they spend caring for each patient.

The trust is currently recruiting more nursing staff so it is able to meet the demands of modern healthcare, delivered with traditional values of compassion and care.

Ms Young added: “We look after a wide range of patients here so it’s a huge advantage to be part of such a supportive and approachable team that boasts great leadership skills and always encourages good teamwork.

“Nursing is such a rewarding career and there’s nothing quite as satisfying as being able to reassure people when they need it most.”