Millions in lost donations and a PR “disaster” after a damning risk rating have created a rift between Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, England, and the Care Quality Commission (CQC), according to an article on The Independent website.

The healthcare regulator recently released intelligent monitoring data that draws on information such as performance reports and the experiences of patients and staff. Alder Hey was placed in the “potentially high risk” category.

The rating came days after the hospital had launched a major charity appeal last October, the article said.

Correspondence released in response to a Freedom of Information request revealed that Sir David Henshaw, chairman of Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, told David Behan, chief executive of CQC, the publication of the rating was a “public relations disaster given that the week before we had launched our £30m charity appeal.”

In a November letter to David Behan, chief executive of CQC, Henshaw said a sponsor who was about to donate £4m for essential equipment may not now proceed.

A report published last month found Alder Hey “potentially unsafe” after it failed to meet four out of five safety and quality standards during an unannounced CQC inspection in December. It revealed how there had been “near misses” and “very worrying” staff shortages.

Read the article.