The upgrade followed the full inspection of services at the trust since 2019.

Linda Hirst, CQC deputy director of operations in the North East, said: ‘When we returned to Bradford Royal Infirmary, we were pleased to see improvements across their maternity service to ensure women and their babies are receiving the appropriate level of care they deserve. We found a service where most mothers and babies received good care and had complementary feedback to give on their birth experiences.'

Hirst noted the addition of 41 newly qualified midwives in October and November to ensure there were enough staff to meet the needs of the service, as well as a ‘good safety culture'.

An electronic interpreting tool available in different languages has also been introduced to ensure any information given to women and their families is accessible.

Professor Mel Pickup, chief executive for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘I would like to say a heartfelt thanks to our colleagues in maternity services for helping us continue to develop a culture of quality that is embedded in our work every day and reflects the trust's aim of delivering outstanding care for parents. I hope that this rating, alongside the outstanding rating for our neonatal services, provides further confidence in the care we provide to local families, communities and our wider partners.

‘While our rating for maternity services is welcome news, this is not about standing still. There will always be areas we need to focus on to improve service users and carers' experience of our services – including those experiences shared with the CQC – and we will work tirelessly to do this. Our participation in the national maternity and neonatal investigation will give us further opportunities to do so.'