THE care at Musgrove Park Hospital is ’outstanding’ and the hospital overall is ’good’, according to official ratings by the Care Quality Commission.

About 50 commission (CQC) inspectors visited the hospital in Taunton in January and found that staff at Musgrove were “overwhelmingly caring” and its inspectors “witnessed some outstanding examples of care being given to patients and their relatives”.

They “saw a trust in which every member of staff cared for the patient and those close to them as individuals”. Care was provided “in a compassionate way” and patients were involved in their treatment and care.

The CQC report outlines many examples of outstanding practice, including the Marie Curie companion service – the only one of its kind in the country - in which trained volunteers help provide emotional comfort and support to patients.

It also noted the “outstanding” flexibility in the meals offered to patients, who can ask for food or drink at any time of the day or night, and open visiting hours which allow families to choose when to spend time with their friends and relatives.

As part of the report, the CQC lists a series of actions the hospital must take to improve some aspects of its services.

The trust received ratings of ‘good’ for its services being effective, responsive and well-led, with a ‘requires improvement’ for safety.