Royal Derby Hospital's was again given an overall good rating, while Queen's Hospital Burton improved from requires improvement to good.

Greg Rielly, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said: ‘At both Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Hospital Burton, we found critical care services focusing on delivering safe care and working collaboratively together. The commitment of hard-working staff and comprehensive oversight from leaders helped achieve this.'

Rielly said staff treated patients ‘with kindness and compassion while respecting their privacy and dignity' and made sure patients understood the care they were receiving.

Memory boxes, including handprints, were created for people at the end of their lives. Staff also helped people celebrate birthdays and even helped organise weddings.

Leaders met regularly to discuss the management and oversight of services making sure both hospitals worked collaboratively.

UHDB's chief executive, Stephen Posey, said: ‘We are privileged to be able to provide care for communities across Derbyshire and Staffordshire, and we are immensely proud of the high-quality care delivered by our critical care teams.

‘In these units, good care goes far beyond simply looking after someone's clinical needs, and it is positive to see the teams' compassion, hard work and commitment - which they show day in day out with their patients - being recognised in these reports.'