THE NHS Trust that runs Okehampton Hospital has been rated among the best in the country on what matters most to patients, according to a new report.

Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust has been ranked eleventh out of 146 trusts, with a score of 7.28 in a report called the Quality Index.

The report is the first ever overall assessment of NHS hospital quality in England, and ranked trusts on ten different indicators based on what patients said was most important to them.

The report was published by MHP Health Mandate, an award-winning specialist health policy and communications consultancy.

The report found that of the ten indicators, patient experience and waiting times matter most to the public.

In a poll of the British public conducted by ComRes, 23% of respondents said the factor they considered most important when deciding which hospital to choose for an operation was the number of patients who said they had a good experience of care at the hospital.

Twenty per cent placed greatest importance on how long they would have to wait for an operation.

Among the ten indicators considered in the report were risk of infection, the number of patients who said they got better after treatment in hospital, and the number of patients who said they had a good experience of care.

The report also makes 14 recommendations on how the quality ratings should be developed and used to improve the quality of care delivered by hospitals in the NHS.

Jac Kelly, chief executive of the trust, said: 'We are delighted that the excellent standard and quality of care that our trust provides corresponds directly to what is most important to patients.

'Our staff are incredibly dedicated and the fact that their hard work has been recognised nationally is testament to their ongoing commitment and expertise.

'I am very proud of our success and am looking forward to building upon it throughout the coming year.'

Mike Birtwisle, managing director of MHP Health Mandate, said: 'Quality in health is complex and there is a strong case for bringing information together to enable an at-a-glance assessment of a trust's performance. It picks up the specifics that matter most to the public, providing a barometer of how hospitals are performing.'