WOMEN’S and maternity care at a Southampton hospital has been rated among the best in the world.

The Princess Anne Hospital was named in a list of 129 top specialist care centres globally by US news magazine and website Newsweek.

In addition, Southampton General Hospital was ranked number 24 out of 80 in a list of the best hospitals in the UK with a score of 83.5 out of 100.

A total of 1,000 hospitals from the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Australia and Israel featured in the groundbreaking ranking project.

“We really are delighted to be recognised among the best hospitals in the world and UK and it is testament to the quality and dedication of staff throughout the organisation who are constantly pushing the boundaries and striving for excellence,” said Dr Derek Sandeman, medical director at UHS.

“Our hospitals are ranked alongside some of the most esteemed institutions in global healthcare, with our maternity and women’s services among the best in the world, so this is an amazing feat and something we can be extremely proud of.”

Countries were selected on standard of living and life expectancy, population size, number of hospitals and data availability, while hospitals were selected on recommendations from medical experts, results from patient surveys and medical performance indicators.

The Princess Anne Hospital provides a comprehensive maternity service for around 6,000 women every year, with regional and national expertise in fetal and maternal medicine.

It is also home to leading fertility, gynaecology, breast imaging and genetics services and the regional centre for neonatal intensive care.

Southampton General Hospital, the third largest hospital in the UK list with 1,300 beds, is a specialist centre for services ranging from oncology, major trauma and intensive care to neurosciences, cardiology and orthopaedics, as well as children’s services delivered via Southampton Children’s Hospital.

Among those featured in the lists, which include a global top 100, leading hospitals in each country and the best specialist centres, are the Mayo Clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital in the US, Singapore General Hospital, University of Tokyo Hospital and the Charité hospital in Berlin.