A NORTH-EAST hospital trust has seen an improvement in its rating following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation was rated as requires improvement following an inspection in July 2015.

The services have now been ranked as good following an inspection in July 2017.

Inspectors found improvements to maternity services as one of the main reasons behind the improved performance at both the University Hospital of North Tees and the University Hospital of Hartlepool.

Ellen Armistead, deputy chief inspector at Hospitals for the North, said: “Since our last inspection, the rating for the trust has improved from requires improvement to good.

"This represents very good progress, the trust are to be congratulated for their dedication and hard work.

"It is clear the trust has the vision and leadership to sustain its improvement and I look forward to seeing further progress at the next inspection.”