The 12 best hospitals and treatment centres in the North West rated outstanding by inspectors

• The Care Quality Commission have assessed 52 hospital and treatment centres in the North West.
• 12 hospitals have received an outstanding rating.
• Outstanding is the top rating a hospital can achieve, it means that the service is performing exceptionally well.

In the North West, 12 hospitals and treatment centres have received an outstanding rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The regulation body is in charge of inspecting all health and social care services in England. This includes health facilities such as hospitals, dentists, ambulances, and care homes, helping provide patients with the information they need so they can make choices about their care.

Inspectors judge each health and social care service based on the five CQC standards which are: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-Led, with four ratings available - Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate. These ratings must be displayed by law where patients can easily see them, such as in the main entrance of a hospital or a GP waiting room.

A total of 52 hospitals and treatment centres across the North West have been inspected, with 12 coming out on top. Here are all the hospitals that have been ranked outstanding by the CQC.