Birmingham Children’s Hospital has become the first of its kind in the country to be rated outstanding.

In a major boost for the hospital, the health watchdog lavished praise on it – eight years after it faced damning criticism for substandard care.

Most areas in BCH were given either the top rating, or classed as good, following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission, carried out last year.

The rating has been widely welcomed on social media, with Brummies sharing the love for the children’s hospital.

Inspectors highlighted a number of examples of outstanding practice, including the hospital’s safety routines within the paediatric intensive care unit, and approach to care of terminally ill children.

The findings, published on Tuesday, also commended the trust’s implementation of a rare diseases strategy, describing it as “innovative” in allowing children to have one appointment with all clinicians rather than multiple visits to different doctors.

The trust tweeted: “We’re proud to be the first children’s hospital in the country to be rated ‘outstanding’ by @CareQualityComm. £ByYourSide”.

It added: “So proud of all our staff for helping us to achieve our @CareQualityComm ‘Outstanding’ rating #Thankyou #ByYourSide.”

Staff at the hospital were found to work together well in a supportive environment where they referred to “Team BCH”, and were said by parents and children to treat patients and their families with dignity and respect.

Cancer patient referrals were found to meet the treatment targets and all children were seen within six weeks of being referred, inspectors said.

Meanwhile the trust’s neonatal services were deemed to require improvement, with the watchdog demanding action “to ensure that learning from serious incidents involving neonates ward are shared consistently across the trust”.

The trust was also urged to ensure there were appropriate staffing levels within its child and adolescent mental health services to allow “effective” care.

A report in 2009 found patients at Birmingham Children’s Hospital (BCH) experienced delays in treatment, substandard care and youngsters being redirected to other services.

BCH was also criticised in the report, ordered by then health secretary Alan Johnson after concerns raised by consultants appeared in a national newspaper, for its shortage of beds, equipment and access to operating theatres, and an “ineffective” partnership with the University Hospital Birmingham.

The trust was rated as compliant in its previous inspection in 2013.