ACUTE wards at a Hampshire hospital have been named among the best in the country.

Lymington New Forest Hospital has come top in a national audit carried out by the Society of Acute Medicine (SAM), which gave it the highest overall rating.

More than UK 100 hospitals took part in the audit, which aimed to provide a snapshot of services across the country.

Each one was asked to gather data on admissions to their acute medical units on the same day in June to gauge the extent to which they were meeting three key targets.

Lymington managed an overall rating of 85-per-cent, the best figure achieved by those surveyed.

Its scores for individual targets were even higher, with 92-per-cent of patients seen by as nurse within 30 minutes, 100-per-cent assessed by a doctor within four hours and 92-per-cent seen by a consultant within eight hours.

Some of the other hospitals that took part in the survey achieved higher scores but Lymington secured the best general rating.

Dr Chris Roseveare, inset, consultant physician at the hospital said: “Although we are one of the smallest acute hospitals in the UK, this data demonstrates the high quality of care which is delivered by the dedicated team in the Forest Assessment Centre and Medical Admissions Unit at Lymington.

“People living in the New Forest are very fortunate to have this facility on their doorstep.”

Dr Mark Holland, president of SAM, added: “Some acute units are struggling but there are fantastic examples of staff going above and beyond in delivering high quality care.

“Lymington Hospital has performed well in this audit, demonstrating quality leadership, staff commitment and the right processes in place to deliver high quality care to its patients.

“Participating in the audit is a marker of quality in itself, one which many external bodies are now taking note of.”

Rachel Anderson, clinical services director at the hospital, run by the Calmore-based Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, said the audit results were “testament to the hard work by staff”.

She added: “The investment in the unit to deliver an effective seven-day consultant service has paid off, ultimately benefiting the patients admitted to the ward.

“Our patients are noticing a difference, with one of our recent patients thanking us for the quick diagnosis and treatment of sepsis.”

A trust spokesman said: “Lymington Hospital is a relatively small unit compared to the bigger acute hospitals so fewer patients were using the services during the time of the audit.

"But it’s still a great result for the hospital and the staff are very pleased.”