Dorset County Hospital (DCH) has been ranked as one of the country's best performing acute trusts after receiving top feedback from patients of all ages.

Results of the Children and Young People’s Patient Experience Survey 2018 show that DCH was the only trust to receive 100 per cent positive feedback on how staff speak to children about their worries.

The survey also revealed that 96 per cent of parents and 95 per cent of children felt well looked after by staff.

DCH was ranked seventh in the survey’s overall score, and fourth in how the trust has improved in comparison to the previous survey.

Nicky Lucey, director of nursing and quality at DCH, said: "The hospital can be a very worrying time for a child or young person, which is why I am so delighted and immensely proud that our staff here at Dorset County Hospital have shown how important it is to ask the child about their worries, being the only trust to achieve 100 per cent in the survey.

"The team are fantastic and are very focused on the needs of the child or young person, as well as their parents/guardians, which is why we rank in the top 10 of all trusts which undertook the Picker Institute survey. I am very proud to be part of Team DCH."

DCH was also praised by the Picker Institute which said: "We were particularly impressed with the significant improvement regarding question C37 – staff spoke to children about their worries.

"This is an area where many organisations struggle and Dorset came top of all of the acute trusts that we work with. In fact, they were the only Picker organisation to receive 100 per cent favourable feedback on this question."

DCH also ranked highly in the NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Survey 2018.

Of all patients who took part, 90 per cent rated the care they received as a 7/10 or more, 97 per cent felt they were treated with respect and dignity and 98 per cent felt the doctors and nurses listened to them.

In comparison with 68 other organisations, DCH was ranked fifth in the overall survey’s score.

Alastair Hutchison, medical director at DCH, said: “I am incredibly proud of our team here at Dorset County Hospital.

"The Trust has been exceptionally busy ever since last winter, with no let up, and our staff have been working tirelessly to support the needs of our patients.

"For the NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Survey to demonstrate such excellent performance whilst under immense pressure is fantastic and I’m very proud and thankful for everyone’s ongoing hard work."