Local Hospitals Among Safest in Country
Trusts find favour with Dr Foster's guide
Our local health trusts are both included the country's
top ten for patient safety in the latest hospital guide produced by Dr Foster Intelligence.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which comprises Charing Cross, Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte's & Chelsea, St Mary's and Western Eye hospitals, was given a top banding of five out of five the independent healthcare survey.
The figure is based on an analysis of a range of safety indicators including surgery, infection rates and staffing levels and expected death rates.
Patients treated at Imperial's hospitals are seen to have a much better chance of survival than at the majority of UK hospitals, with the Trust having the fourth lowest hospital standardised mortality rate in the country.
Trust chief executive Professor Stephen Smith said: "Patient safety is our absolute priority. Everything we do is to ensure that our patients have the best possible outcomes and the fact that we have one of the best survival rates in the country reflects this."
Chelsea and Westminster fared equally well in the new survey, coming 4th equal in England and the best performing hospital in North West London.
A spokesman said: " We are delighted by this independent assessment that we are one of the safest hospitals for patients to be treated in the whole country. This should assure patients that they can expect the safest possible treatment when they come to Chelsea and Westminster."
London overall did very well in the report compared to the rest of the UK. The hospital guide showed that ten London hospitals reported a lower than expected mortality ratio - by far the highest number of hospitals for any region in England.
December 1, 2009
