A private Norfolk hospital has received a 'good' rating from health watchdogs but been told it must improve the safety of its surgery.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission visited the 24-bed BMI Sandringham Hospital, at King's Lynn, in January.

'Feedback from patients and those important to them was extremely positive about the care they had received and the way staff treated them,' said a report by chief inspector Prof Sir Mike Richards. 'Staff demonstrated a culture of caring for patients.'

Inspectors noted that some parts of the building, facilities and processes would require improvement to bring them up to a good level for safety.

The report added: 'We rated both the core services, and the hospital as good overall. However, we found that safety in surgery required improvement.

'Not all staff had completed the acute care competencies for clinical care as recommended following a serious untoward incident for delay in the response to assessing and responding to a deteriorating patient.'

Joanne Donovan, executive director of the hospital at the time of the inspection, said an action plan was in place to address the improvements.

She added: 'This report is a great reflection on the quality of health and care at the hospital.

'I am pleased that the inspectors saw our strong culture of caring, saw that services could be accessed quickly, and that all staff worked together effectively to meet the needs of the patient.

'I'd like to thank our staff, and also our patients for the wonderful feedback that they give us on a daily basis.'

The Sandringham Hospital is operated by BMI Healthcare Limited, which runs 59 hospitals across England, Scotland and Wales.

It opened in 1990 as a purpose built hospital next to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, on the eastern outskirts of Lynn.

It carries out a range of elective surgery including orthopaedics, general surgery, urology, ophthalmology, ear

nose and throat, vascular, gynaecology, cosmetic and plastic, oral and dermatology.

The inspectors' report said: Patient care and treatment reflected relevant research and guidance, including the Royal Colleges and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance.