A North East NHS Trust, which operates a hospital in Hexham, has been rated among the best in the country.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) published the results of the 2023 Adult Inpatients Survey on August 21, based on the experiences of more than 63,000 patients who spent at least one night in hospital across 131 NHS trusts in England.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust operates hospitals including the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington, Hexham, Wansbeck and North Tyneside general hospitals, and community hospitals in Alnwick, Berwick and Blyth.

It was highlighted in an outliers report as performing 'better than expected' based on feedback from nearly 500 of its patients.

The trust's positive responses across the survey were 'significantly above the trust average.'

Northumbria Healthcare's chief executive, Birju Bartoli, said: "This is testament to the hard work, commitment and compassion of our staff, not just those on the frontline in the wards, but all those in support roles who contribute to the quality of care provided to our patients.

"It paints a really positive overall picture, but we also recognise that we do not always meet the expectations of every patient.

"We recognise that there is always more to do to improve, and our focus will always be on where we can do better."

The trust was also featured in the positive outliers report in the surveys for 2021 and 2022.

This time round, of the 11 survey sections, Northumbria's responses were better than most trusts in two, and somewhat better than most trusts in five others.

Questions about whether patients were involved in discussions and decisions about their care, and about support provided to patients once they had left hospital, scored particularly strongly.

Jo Mackintosh, the trust's chief experience officer, said: "While surveys like these provide us with valuable information, we rely on ongoing feedback to ensure the quality of our care and make any improvements needed.

"Our real-time patient experience programme has long been recognised as one of the most wide-ranging in the NHS and it means we can stay reactive and responsive to the needs of our communities."