'Outstanding' CQC rating for key Alder Hey Children's Hospital services

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated the provisions for children and young people at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust as outstanding, following an inspection in March. It was previously rated as good.

The site on Eaton Road provides specialist community mental health services, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and ASD (autism spectrum disorder) services for children and young people up to the age of 18 across Liverpool and Sefton. The community Eating Disorder service was not visited as part of the inspection.

The CQC did not have any specific information of concern regarding the service prior to the inspection and stated that the visit was so it could seek assurances from the trust that it was caring for and monitoring people using the service appropriately, following a major incident in Southport involving a young person who had previously been engaged with services.

The CQC has also upgraded the rating for how well-led the service is from good to outstanding, caring was re-rated as outstanding, and the ratings for being safe, effective and responsive have been re-rated as good.

Inspectors described the service as “exceptional at maximising the effectiveness of people’s care and treatment” and noted that children and young people considered staff to be “kind, caring and empathetic”.

They added that staff treated children and young people as individuals and cared about their wellbeing, and praised the ADHD and ASD services. The report stated: “The ADHD and ASD services worked well with local schools to help deliver joined up and coordinated care, including holding clinics in schools.

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“The ADHD team had received an award for their partnership working with a local school, and the positive impact it had on people.”

The overall rating for Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust remains unchanged and is rated as good.

Karen Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the North West, said: “When we inspected specialist community mental health services for children and young people at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, we found strong leaders, as well as kind and compassionate staff, who delivered high quality care.

“Our experience tells us that when a service has strong leadership and staff committed to providing excellent care, it’s likely to meet people’s needs which is what we found here.

“Staff focused on what mattered to the people they were caring for, and as a result they felt valued and listened to. For example, people were consulted on changes to the service, including helping to re-design reception areas and choose furniture and décor, including producing artwork that was displayed on walls.

“Leaders and staff at the service should be proud of the many positive findings of this report, which reflect their dedication to providing a safe and caring service.”

A spokesperson for Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are delighted with the CQC rating received, which recognises the outstanding care we provide to children and young people’s mental health services. The rating is a reflection of the compassion, professionalism, and relentless commitment of our teams across Liverpool and Sefton, especially over the last year.”