BOLTON NHS Foundation Trust has maintained its “Good” rating, with “Outstanding” features, after being inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The health watchdog carried out an inspection of the trust, which oversees the Royal Bolton Hospital as well as a number of community services across Bolton, during December and January.

Inspectors awarded a rating of “Good” to the trust for being effective, caring and responsive; and “Outstanding” for being well-led.

The latest assessment of the whether the trust’s services were safe also saw the body climb from “Requires improvement” to “Good”.

Jackie Bene, chief executive of the trust, said: “To be acknowledged for providing outstanding care in some areas is a wonderful accolade for the trust and our staff to receive.

"We have worked very hard to act upon feedback from our last inspection and ensure that we are consistently providing high quality services in all our areas. Our consistently good friends and family test responses and the evidence provided in this CQC report, highlights that we are getting this right.

“I am incredibly proud of our teams, and know that they will continue to build on this excellent work in all that they do.”

The CQC report marks further progress for the Trust which was plagued by problems during the 2000s.

In 2010 the trust was noted in a report by the healthcare monitor Dr Foster as being one of only two trusts in the country to perform badly for six years running.

At the time death rates in the trust were some of the highest in the UK, prompting a data probe into fears that the deaths of hundreds of patients were being covered up.

However over the last decade the trust has turned itself around and has continued to make improvements.

In the latest CQC report inspectors found that urgent and emergency care service at the Royal Bolton Hospital had improved, as had medical care ­— including for older people.

The report also highlighted examples of "outstanding practice" in these areas, maternity services, and leadership.

Inspectors praised the trust's leadership team as "cohesive and competent" and said: "Candour, openness, honesty and transparency were the norm."

The report added: "The leadership team actively shaped the culture of the organisation. The culture was open, encouraging and enabling.

"There was a culture of collective responsibility for patient safety throughout the organisation which was palpable.

"There was also a level of humility also demonstrated which masked the outstanding areas of practice as they were thought of as just doing the best for the people of Bolton."

Trish Armstrong-Child, director of nursing and trust deputy chief executive said: “The organisation has come a long way since our 2016 inspection, and to have this formally recognised by our regulators makes us very proud. I am thrilled to have been part of the team that has driven forward these improvements, and to work alongside the many staff who use their talents and abilities on a daily basis to make positive improvements for their patients, and their colleagues. The report made a very valid point about Bolton – which is that we demonstrated that our areas of outstanding practice were just felt to be “doing the best for the people of Bolton”. This is why they have quite rightly been rated as outstanding for their leadership and compassionate care.”