A North East hospital's maternity unit has been given a glowing review by inspectors - with its work to help improve NHS care for people with learning disabilities singled out for praise.
Maternity at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead has retained its "good" rating from Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors following a visit in February. This sees the QE buck a trend which has seen numerous CQC downgrades across the UK - including in the North East.
Already this year inspectors have raised concerns about maternity services at Sunderland Royal and the RVI - but as part of a national maternity inspection programme, services in Gateshead have received a positive report card. Inspectors highlighted how services were "well-led", that staff acted quickly to manage risks to patients and that they received a "high standard of care".
