THE Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester has been awarded high marks in a national survey on healthcare for the over-50s.

The Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare Trust came 27th out of more than 200 large acute NHS Trusts in England and Wales.

Results show that it provides consistently high standards in the treatment and care of the 50-plus age bracket.

The survey was conducted by Dr Foster, an independent organisation which collects and analyses information on the availability and quality of health services in the UK.

It focused on the patient experience, access to treatment or surgery, and "quality" (which identifies the mortality rate).

Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust achieved six credits out of an available ten, with top marks for patient experience.

The trust excelled in this area, scoring 89 per cent for respect and dignity in outpatients and 80 per cent in the accident and emergency department.

An impressive 90 per cent of patients said that doctors and nurses didn't speak in front of them as if they weren't there, while 80 per cent said that the right amount of information about their condition or treatment in A&E was provided.

One of the credits was for access, with 88 per cent of inpatients undergoing their procedure within six months of the decision to admit.

Chief executive Rod Halls said: "This is a great achievement for the hospital, especially in comparison to so many trusts. I can't pretend that people enjoy coming to hospital, so it's a real credit to our staff that we have managed to reach such high marks. It's not just when, but how patients are treated that makes a difference at our hospital. Making people feel comfortable and respected is an integral part of the way we aim to treat all our patients."

The star ratings also emphasised the success of A&E admission waits - outpatients being seen within 13 weeks - better relationships and information given to patients and a clean, comfortable and friendly hospital.

The Patient Environment and Assessment Team has also awarded the Royal Hampshire County Hospital maximum scores in the appearance of staff, buildings and grounds, cleanliness of wards, quality of food and the appreciation of patients' dignity.