Top ranking for criticised trust

An inquiry into past failings at the hospital is under way

A hospital trust previously criticised for failings has been named the ninth best in England for patient safety.

The Dr Foster Hospital Guide also puts Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust among the country's top five most improved for in-hospital mortality.

But the Care Quality Commission (CQC) questioned the trust's safety ranking, saying it still "had a long way to go".

In March, the watchdog's predecessor said poor care between 2005 and 2008 had led to patients "dying needlessly".

Dr Foster put the trust, which runs Stafford Hospital, in band five, its top ranking for patient safety.

It also said the trust's hospital standardised mortality ratio (HSMR), which was 8% better than average, had reduced by 34% over three years.

This puts it among the most improved in the country, the guide stated.

'Very clear'

The HSMR is a measure of how many patients with particular conditions die compared with how many would be expected to die.

A spokesman for the guide said the rating represented a "dramatic improvement" and demonstrated that "real improvements to patient care can be achieved".

However, commenting on the guide's publication, CQC chairman Baroness Young said the trust still had progress to make.

"We would very much question that North Staffs is coming up as one of the safest hospitals because we are in there on a regular basis and are very clear that Mid Staffs has a long way to go in order to remedy its difficulties," she said.

'Zero-harm'

The trust said a number of factors had contributed to its reduction in mortality rates and the most significant was the way it managed its emergency patients, giving them access to senior medical staff early on in their care.

"Our main priority is to improve the care to patients and to support this we aim to see zero-harm as our target for keeping patients safe in our hospitals," a statement said.

It added that it would continue to work hard to improve patient care and "recognise that we have a lot more to do to sustain this improvement".

In October, the CQC gave the trust a "weak" rating for a second year running.

In March the regulator's predecessor, the Healthcare Commission, said about 400 more people died at Stafford Hospital between 2005 and 2008 than would be expected.

An independent inquiry is under way into the care the trust provided during that period.