The perinatal service consists of one inpatient ward at Chorley Hospital and three specialist perinatal community mental health teams at Lancaster, Leyland and Blackburn.

Gemma Berry, CQC deputy director of operations in the North West, said: ‘At this facility, we found a service providing exemplary care with staff going above and beyond to ensure women and their babies were cared for exceptionally well.

‘Women on special observations were given privacy when partners visited and women who were breastfeeding were given privacy and support to do this in a safe and calm environment. In the community, we saw staff had a genuine understanding and respect for cultural differences in the way new babies were welcomed into a family.'

The CQC found staff involved all the necessary healthcare and social care services to ensure people had continuity of safe care, both within the service and post discharge.

In addition, leaders and staff had effective working relationships with teams outside the organisation, including the local safeguarding team, midwives, health visitors and GPs.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, chief executive, Chris Oliver, said: ‘We are very proud of both our inpatient and community teams as we repeatedly hear about the positive and lasting impact they have on the lives of mothers and their babies as well as the wider family, seeing them go from being extremely unwell , and needing urgent support, to recovering and thriving as mums. This is reflected in the feedback we receive from patients - which inspectors noted was 99% positive - expressing their gratitude and thanks regularly.

‘It was also great to hear that community colleagues had a genuine understanding and respect for cultural differences in the way new babies were welcomed into a family, which demonstrates our trust commitment to inclusivity for both patients and colleagues, representing the diverse communities we serve.'