'Tremendous commitment' - Blackpool Teaching Hospital bosses praise 'kind' staff after CQC rating upgrade

Hospital bosses at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have praised staff for their ‘tremendous commitment, kindness, and compassion’ after they saw their Care Quality Commission rating upgraded.

Specialist community mental health services for children and young people at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are not longer rated as ‘requires improvement by the Care Quality Commission following a recent inspection.

The CQC improved the rating for the service from requires improvement to good following an inspection carried out between November 25 and 27, 2025. The service, based at Whitegate Health Centre, provides mental health support to children and young people across the area.

In response, Chief Executive of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Maggie Oldham said: “Colleagues in our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services work with some of our most vulnerable patients and the change in rating from Requires Improvement to Good following the inspection in November 2025 reflects their tremendous commitment.

“We have worked hard to ensure that patients are fully supported, and the inspectors have highlighted a number of positive areas including our relationship with other services such as safeguarding and local schools, an improvement in waiting times and the kindness and compassion of colleagues in the service.

“We are carefully examining the inspectors’ report and have already introduced a number of changes to make sure our young people continue to be supported, focused on the way we carry out risk assessments and care planning for our patients.”

Following the inspection, the CQC raised the service’s ratings for being well-led and responsive from requires improvement to good. Effective and caring were re-rated as good, while the safe rating declined from good to requires improvement.

Inspectors identified a breach of regulation relating to safe care and treatment. The trust has been instructed to submit an action plan outlining the steps it will take in response. Despite the improved rating for the specialist community mental health service, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust remains rated as requires improvement overall.

Inspectors found that the trust ensured young people’s care and treatment plans were appropriate for the mental health needs identified during assessments.

The inspection also found waiting times had improved, with young people being seen in around three weeks within child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), alongside shorter waiting times for other teams.

The service was praised for maintaining effective relationships with safeguarding teams and schools to help ensure young people received appropriate care and treatment.

Inspectors also highlighted that staff were kind and compassionate, with a strong focus on the needs of young people and their families. People using the service told inspectors that staff listened to them and responded to their needs.

The report noted that the service used feedback from young people and their families to help improve services. However, inspectors found that some young people did not always have a care plan or risk assessment in place, which could place them at risk.