PATIENTS at the SpaMedica eye hospital in Widnes receive ‘outstanding’ care according to a top health watchdog.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) awarded the hospital with the highest possible overall rating in its recent inspection.

SpaMedica is the UK’s leading provider of NHS cataract surgery, and the hospital in Widnes received the outstanding rating. Special praise was given to the staff’s commitment to patient care, with the report noting that patient feedback regularly included words such as “exemplary, excellent, efficient, helpful, kind, caring, brilliant, and professional.”

In relation to the ‘outstanding’ care offered at SpaMedica Widnes, Karen Knapton, head of hospital inspection at CQC, added: “When we inspected SpaMedica Widnes, we were extremely impressed by the level of care people received. Attending hospital for any kind of medical procedure can be daunting but staff put patients at ease immediately upon arrival, explained their treatment and were extremely caring, kind and respectful throughout their stay.”

Sharon Mullally, the hospital manager at SpaMedica Widnes, was pleased that the care delivered by her team was recognised by the CQC inspectors and highlighted the importance of the work carried out at the hospital.

She said: “We all share a passion for patient care, and we’ll keep on striving to deliver the best service we can to improve our patients’ vision, give them back their independence, and enhance their quality of life.”

CQC were also impressed with the support that SpaMedica in Widnes offered for people with protected characteristics. Karen Knapton commented: “We were impressed that the service actively supported people with protected characteristics under the Equality Act or those with complex needs. For example, patients with a learning disability or autistic people were offered additional visits before their procedure to help prepare them.”

Sharon Mullally also emphasised how the team at SpaMedica in Widnes recognise the need to help those who need extra support during their visit to the hospital.

She said: “We know some people can be nervous about having cataract surgery, but we always take the time to put our patients at ease and make the experience as positive as possible for them, and we’re glad this was reflected in the inspection outcome.”