Report says Blackpool's Spire private hospital is now 'good'

Spire, in St Walburgas Road, had its surgery department examined by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), in December 2017 and despite it not re-rating the hospital, it noted a number of areas ‘that required improvement’.

The hospital, which received around £9.1 million of NHS cash in 2017, has now received an overall rating of ‘good’ by the CQC, with all five key areas - Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-Led - gaining a ‘good’ rating as well.

Previously, Spire’s overall rating remained at ‘requires improvement’, as did three out of five key areas.

Spire has 26 rooms, 11 day care beds, three theatres, 10 consulting rooms, physiotherapy, medical imaging, and outpatient and diagnostics facilities.

In the CQC report, Ann Ford, the deputy chief inspector of hospitals (North West) said: “The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe.

“Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well.

She added: “Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions.

A spokesman for Spire said: “We have now received our report and been upgraded to a ‘good’ status.

“This is fantastic news for the hospital, staff and patients.”