STANDARDS of care in a failing hospital have been placed under a microscope this week.

Furness General Hospital was subject to a planned inspection by the Government’s health watchdog to check levels of patient care and safety.

An expert team, assembled by the Care Quality Commission, has undertaken the visit in which staff, medical practice, wards and management have all come under scrutiny.

Bosses at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust - the body that oversees Barrow’s FGH - are hoping a raft of improvements made over the past 12 months will help them to secure a good rating under the strict national inspection regime.

UHMBT is currently rated as inadequate following an unsatisfactory CQC visit last year.

This week trust leaders said they were fully prepared for the inspection.

Jackie Daniel , UHMBT chief executive, explained there had been a level of anxiety among staff about being inspected, but that a huge amount of progress had already been made.

“I know from speaking to staff how hard everyone is working to demonstrate to the CQC the improvements that have been made.

“The sense of wanting to show our quality regulators what’s been achieved is palpable.

“I am also aware that staff are realistic about the fact that there is so much more we want to do.”

Mrs Daniel, who took over the reins of the trust in 2013, added the inspectors would also be analysing data from each of the three hospitals and that a presentation on progress already made had been delivered.

“The journey of improvement is continuous and we will be constantly striving to improve little by little, day in day out, and long after the inspection team have gone.”

The inspection had been planned for April but was postponed to allow some of the recommendations for change outlined within the Morecambe Bay Investigation Report, by Bill Kirkup CBE , to have been implemented.

Standards within Barrow’s shamed maternity unit, in which Dr Kirkup concluded 11 babies and one mother died unnecessarily, will be one of the areas overseen by the team made up of clinicians from other hospital trusts as well as medical professionals from the CQC .