Royal Papworth Hospital has become the first NHS Hospital Trust to be rated ‘outstanding’ across all five areas of a Care Quality Commission inspection.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today (Wednesday 16 October) announced it has rated Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as 'outstanding' overall, and across all five of the CQC domains; safe, caring, effective, responsive, and well-led.

This is the first time ever that an NHS hospital trust has achieved an 'outstanding' rating across the five key questions that the CQC asks when it inspects hospitals.

It is also the first NHS acute Trust to have gained an 'outstanding' rating in the 'safe' category.

The inspection took place in June and July, with a previous inspection in 2014 having rated the hospital as 'good'.

In the report, the inspectors commended the hospital's care, treatment of patients and leadership as well as the learning culture that exists at the hospital to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients.

The achievement marks the conclusion of a busy six months for the Trust which included moving to its new building on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in May, welcoming HM the Queen to officially open the hospital in July and celebrating the funding award to build the Heart and Lung Research and Education Institute with the University of Cambridge.

Since the move in May, the hospital has carried out more than 7,000 procedures and seen more than 40,000 patients. Annually it treats more than 100,000 patients.

Stephen Posey, Chief Executive at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: "It has been an extraordinary year for Royal Papworth, its staff and patients.

"To have been rated as 'outstanding' in all five CQC domains only two months after moving into our new building is testament to our skilled and dedicated staff whose work has created a culture which delivers the best possible care for our patients.

"I am immensely proud of what they have achieved and I cannot thank them enough for their efforts and extraordinary commitment."

Professor Ted Baker, CQC's chief inspector of hospitals, said: "Patients received exemplary care from committed and qualified staff. Premises were safe and clean, ensuring vulnerable people - including those living with cystic fibrosis - were protected from infection.

"Processes were in place, based on best practice guidelines, ensuring staff acted quickly when people showed signs of deterioration.

"An 'outstanding' rating is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment; I congratulate everyone involved.

"We continue to monitor the trust and we will return to carry out further inspections to check on progress with improvements."