SPIRE Cheshire Hospital has been rated as outstanding by the healthcare watchdog following an inspection.

The Stretton hospital has received the top rating from the Care Quality Commission after it was inspected in October.

It now becomes the only independent acute hospital provider in the north of England with an outstanding rating from the CQC.

Inspectors found that the Fir Tree Close private hospital, which first opened in 1988, ‘exceeded benchmarks’ in terms of patient outcomes when compared to similar services.

Spire Cheshire Hospital, which has 50 bed for inpatients and day case patients, ‘championed a proactive approach’ to raising standards with care and treatment aligned to national guidance and best practice.

The CQC said that the hospital’s management placed patient care as ‘central to its success’ and promoted and motivated staff to promote a ‘collective ethos’ for improving standards.

Director Verlie Brazel said that the CQC’s rating was a ‘credit to everyone at the hospital’.

She added: “The CQC inspection really is crucial to us as a hospital and for us to get an overall outstanding rating something we are all very proud of.

“It demonstrates a very strong performance from staff across the whole hospital with the consistent delivery of high standards of care throughout.

“From housekeeping and catering to admin staff, nurses and consultants, everyone should take great pride in this achievement.”

Inspectors also found that patients were cared for with ‘kindness and compassion’ with their privacy and dignity ‘maintained at all times’.

Meanwhile, staff at Spire Cheshire Hospital were described as ‘committed and motivated to achieving high standards’, leading to a ‘professional, efficient and caring’ service.

Spire Cheshire Hospital matron Dan West added: “I have always known we had a great team here – not just the nurses but throughout the entire hospital – and this result just confirms that.

“It’s great to receive such recognition and I actually think it will spur us on to even better things in the future.”