The Countess of Chester Hospital has received improved ratings from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), although inspectors say concerns remain over its urgent and emergency department.

The CQC carried out an inspection in October to assess progress since its previous visit, looking at urgent and emergency care, medical services and end-of-life care.

Inspectors found improvements across all three areas, with urgent and emergency services rising from inadequate to requires improvement, while medical and end-of-life services both improved from requires improvement to good.

However, the hospital's overall rating remains requires improvement.

The inspection identified five breaches of regulation relating to staffing, person-centred care, safe care and treatment, duty of candour, premises and equipment, and how services are managed.

The trust has been asked to submit an action plan setting out how it will address the concerns raised.

In urgent and emergency care, inspectors said staffing pressures continued to affect services. They found the paediatric emergency department did not always meet recommended staffing standards for children's emergency care, while a shortage of consultants affected timely care and support available to resident doctors.

However, inspectors noted a noticeable improvement in the culture of the department, with staff interactions described as kind and compassionate. They also found improvements to the environment used for people with mental health needs.

In end-of-life care, inspectors praised staff for treating patients with dignity and compassion, respecting people's spiritual and cultural wishes, and providing chaplaincy and pastoral support regardless of belief or non-belief.

They also highlighted the use of a specialist approach using favourite or nostalgic flavours to provide comfort and sensory pleasure for people who could no longer eat or drink normally.

However, inspectors said the palliative care team did not always have enough capacity to review every patient referred.

Medical services were rated good after inspectors found positive feedback from patients and relatives, stronger engagement between leaders and staff, and good examples of safeguarding practices.

Inspectors did identify some concerns, including staff not always following hand hygiene procedures to reduce infection risks.

Gill Hodgson- Reilly, CQC deputy director of operations in the north-west, said improvements had been made but further work was needed, particularly in urgent and emergency care.

She added: "When we inspected The Countess of Chester Hospital, we were pleased to see improvements, particularly within medical and end-of-life services, but some improvements are still needed, especially within urgent and emergency services.

"Staff worked hard and showed kindness and compassion, prioritising safety and managing risks as best they could, but it was obvious understaffing was causing issues, particularly in urgent and emergency care.

"We'll continue to monitor the trust, including through future inspections, to ensure people are safe while the necessary improvements are made."

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust welcomed the improved ratings, saying the report showed changes made by teams across the hospital were improving patient care.

Jane Tomkinson OBE, chief executive officer at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: "This is a proud moment for our teams and an important message for our patients and their families.

"The CQC report demonstrates that the actions we are taking are improving the quality and experience for patients.

"I am extremely grateful to colleagues across the Trust for their professionalism, compassion and commitment.

"We recognise there is more to do – especially in Urgent and Emergency Care – and we will continue to drive forward the improvements, to ensure every patient receives safe, timely and high‑quality care."

Trust chair Neil Large MBE said the improvements reflected colleagues working together with a focus on listening, learning and making changes that matter to patients and their families.

The Trust said the inspection took place during its busiest month on record, when emergency care demand was around 8% higher than the same period last year.

Since the inspection, the Trust said it has completed a £7.1 million upgrade to the emergency department and discharge lounge, introduced a new arrival and streaming process, increased senior clinical capacity during peak times and continued work to improve discharge planning.

You can find the full report on the CQC's website.