THE former Worcester Royal Infirmary will be remembered with gratitude by the many patients who were treated successfully within its walls - and also, apparently, by the world of officialdom.

League tables published today show that the WRI has been awarded a two-star rating - which means it performed well overall but did not meet consistently high standards.

That achievement reflects well on the doctors, nurses and auxiliary workers who - as our letters columns regularly reflect - worked tirelessly to help patients.

Labouring in the old buildings - in a National Health Service which had suffered a generation of under-funding - they made sure that the best treatment that could be provided was provided.

They hit Government targets for - among other things - shorter waiting times for inpatients, quicker appointments for outpatients, fewer patients waiting on trolleys and fewer cancelled operations.

Impressively, the hospital also received the highest possible rating for the treatment of breast cancer sufferers.

Now, of course, staff have a gleaming new hospital in which to work - and to strive for the much-coveted three-star status, which has been achieved by 68 NHS Trusts around the country.

No one should be in any doubt that they will work hard to reach that level. But we should not lose sight of the fact that the Government's investment in the NHS, and its efforts at reform, are the vital ingredients.

After all, without enough doctors and nurses - being paid a decent salary - the NHS could still crumble.