HOSPITALS serving Bro-msgrove and Droitwich Spa have been named as among the best in the country -- according to the international firm of health consultants which has produced the first NHS performance tables.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust was praised by consultants CHKS as one of the top 40 performers across a range of indicators.

Hospitals were judged on 13 criteria including mortality rates, adjusted to take into account the different illnesses in their caseload.

Waiting lists, length of stays in hospital, discharge times and re-admission rates were also considered in the survey of 115 hospitals.

The chairman of the trust, Harold Musgrove, said: "We are delighted and very proud of our staff for winning this award, particularly when it involves managerial efficiency and clinical quality."

He said he was pleased standards had been maintained during the changes in the trust, including the merger last year of three acute hospitals and the evacuation of a Worcester hospital during the floods.

Mr Musgrove said: "The staff have every reason to be proud of their achievements.

"However, there is no room for complacency and the next 12 months will see the development in Worcestershire of some of the finest hospital facilities in the United Kingdom."