The standard of care at a leading children’s hospital is criticised by the NHS watchdog today.

A report by the Healthcare Commission into Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (BCH) confirmed concerns raised by the hospital’s own surgeons that some aspects of care were not as good as they should have been.

The regulator found that the trust struggled to meet rising demands, resulting in delays in treatment and children being redirected to other services. There were also concerns about access to operating theatres, particularly for urgent but not life-threatening cases.

The regulator was asked to investigate the trust by Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, after an internal report documenting the concerns was published in a Sunday newspaper in November.

Inspectors said that the trust had not responded with sufficient urgency to problems — first identified in June last year — but there had been no evidence of resulting serious harm to patients.

Anna Walker, the commission’s chief executive, said: “It is deeply concerning that serious issues were raised but not properly or rapidly addressed over several months. While I would not say there were ‘third-world’ conditions, there were serious potential risks in the way care was provided.

“The good news is that the trust has now recognised the seriousness of these issues and begun to take action.”

Monitor, the independent regulator for foundation trusts, said that BCH should make efforts to improve communication with the neighbouring University Hospitals Birmingham Trust to improve care for patients.

Mr Johnson welcomed the report and added that he had been reassured that the trust was safe.

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