Following inspections of services in June and August, the regulator said concerns regarding safety incidents, triage and poor performance indicators, such as waiting times, were unfounded.

Victoria Marsden, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said: ‘When we inspected urgent and emergency services at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, we found a positive culture where staff put people first to deliver the best possible care. Both services were well-led by strong leaders who embodied the cultures and values of their workforce.'

Urgent and emergency services at University Hospital North Durham were upgrade from requires improvement to good and services at Darlington Memorial were re-rated as good again. Both hospitals remained good overall.

Dr Shafie Kamarrudin, urgent and emergency care group director, said: ‘We are pleased to receive the outcome of this recent CQC inspection and the improved ratings for our urgent and emergency services. This is a direct result of the commitment and resilience of our teams at both University Hospital of North Durham and Darlington Memorial Hospital.

‘The inspection highlighted not only the safe and responsive care we deliver but also the warmth, kindness, and professionalism that patients experience when they visit us, even during our busiest times.

‘While we celebrate this success, we also recognise the ongoing pressures our services face, the increased demand being managed currently and the impact this can have on our teams and the experience of our patients. Therefore, we will use this positive development as a foundation to sustain and further improve the care and experience we provide for our patients and local communities.'