Independent inspectors have given Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) a clean bill of health over the care and welfare of people using its accident and emergency services.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published the findings of its Review of Compliance following a visit to the hospital on 30 December 2011.

The review looked into staffing and the care and welfare of people who use the services.

It concluded in its overall judgment that the Trust was “meeting all the essential standards of quality and safety”.

The CQC carried out its review by observing how people were being cared for, talking to staff and to people who use the emergency services.

It reported: “We observed the activities within the Emergency Department. We noted that people's privacy and dignity was being maintained at all times.”

This included staff respecting the "do not enter" signs on bay curtains and patients being shown how to use the nurse call system, which was within reach for people to activate as required.

The CQC added: “People who were receiving the service told us that they were treated with respect and that staff were helpful and informative. They told us that nurses and doctors gave them clear information about their health conditions, what investigations were needed and the treatment they required.

“We were told that the Emergency Department had a dedicated consultant and that there was a stroke co-ordinator available at all times. This meant that people could receive specialist care and treatment, in a timely manner. The doctors' working rota included details and contact numbers of other consultants who could be contacted to provide specialist services.”

The report’s judgment was that “people's dignity and privacy are respected. The planning and delivery of care and treatment ensures people are safe, their welfare is protected and their needs are being met”.

The CQC also examined whether there were enough members of staff to “keep people safe and meet their health and welfare needs”.

The review found that people were not waiting for excessive periods of time to be admitted and assessed by nursing and medical staff. People reported that they had not experienced any delays when being assisted by paramedics.

The report pointed out: “We observed that a person who had been admitted had been assessed within 15 minutes. We saw that people did not wait in excess of four hours in the department prior to admission or discharge, with the exception of one person who was waiting for an ambulance.

“All staff commented that the staffing team 'all pulled together' at busy times and when there was an unexpected event. Staff told us that they always had enough staff on duty to ensure people received timely assessments and appropriate care to meet their needs.”

The CQC reviewed nursing staff allocations for the week commencing 26 December. It found that the rota appeared to provide enough on-duty staff to “ensure that the provision of care was effectively delivered within each area of the department”.

It added: “We reviewed the doctors' working rota for the same period and found that there was an adequate skill mix including consultants, registrars and senior house officers to meet the demands of the service.”

The report concluded: “There are sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet the health and welfare needs of people using the service.”

Each area subjected to review by The CQC was found to be Compliant, which means no further action is taken.

Healthcare services providers have a legal responsibility to ensure they are meeting essential standards of quality and safety.