The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Gobowen has been highlighted as a top-performing trust in a major national survey.

The Care Quality Commission's (CQC) annual Adult Inpatient Survey ranks hospital trusts based on patient feedback.

In the survey, the RJAH was rated "much better than expected," meaning it is one of just nine such high-performing providers in the UK.

The survey received responses from more than 63,500 individuals who had stayed in a hospital in November 2023.

RJAH, nominating 1,200 patients for feedback, had a reply rate of 69 per cent, above the national average of 42 per cent.

The survey collected patients' thoughts on the care they received, the hospital's information and communication, privacy, support with meals and personal hygiene, and discharge arrangements.

39 of the 48 questions relevant to RJAH saw the hospital achieve higher than average marks, with no categories in which it scored below average.

It outperformed the majority of other trusts, particularly on the quality of food and cleanliness of wards – its kitchen ranked best in the NHS for the 18th time in 19 years, and the cleanliness of its wards for the fourth year running.

Patient involvement in decision-making was a new addition to this year’s survey.

RJAH also topped the rankings in this area.

Stacey Keegan, chief executive, said: "I am very proud of this report, which is a testament to the high quality of care delivered by staff right across our hospital.

"I am grateful to our patients for their feedback, and it is gratifying that they are so positive about the experience they have had while in our care."

"The survey highlights the quality of medical and clinical care our staff provide, but good health care is about meeting all the needs of our patients so I am delighted to see that reflected in the scores linked to our fantastic Estates and Facilities teams.

“We will make sure we take time to celebrate this report, but also use to it to draw out areas where we can make further improvements as we strive to maintain a focus on excellence and innovation."

RJAH earned third position for overall patient experience with a score of 9.22 - close to the top score of 9.34.

It also secured second place for overall care and treatment with a score of 9.16 out of 10.

Paul Kavanagh-Fields, chief nurse, said: "This survey is a very useful tool for all NHS organisations, as it gives us a strong measure of exactly what our patients think about us.

"It covers everything from the clinical care we provide to how clean the wards are and how good the food is, so it really is a comprehensive analysis of everything we do.

"We will use this report to celebrate our strengths, but also to help shape our areas for improvement so that we can continue to raise the bar and give our patients the experience they deserve every time they come through our doors."

The full results of the Adult Inpatient Survey 2023 are available online at http://www.cqc.org.uk/publications/surveys/adult-inpatient-survey.