THE standard of care received by the over-50s at Worcestershire Royal Hospital has been rated among the lowest in the West Midlands.

A Saga Health Care study analysed each hospital in England, Wales and Scotland according to four key factors deemed most important to people aged over 50:

l Quality of care in each hospital - number of doctors and nurses and mortality ratios.

l Patient Experience - including cleanliness and confidence in the doctors.

l Infection control - incidence of MRSA.

l Access to services - including in and outpatient wait times.

Each factor was then given a green, amber or red score based on performance. The Royal scored just two green credits - for the number of nurses and doctors per 100 beds - out of a possible 10.

It gained amber ratings for its mortality rate, the cleanliness of the outpatient department, treatment by doctors, MRSA rate, and hip replacement waiting times.

Red ratings were given for the outpatient, inpatient and MRI scan waiting times.

Staffordshire General Hospital is the only one that scored lower.

The Royal was criticised for not hitting national targets for outpatient, inpatient and MRI scan waiting times - but it did do well on the number of doctors and nurses per 100 beds.

In contrast, Hereford County Hospital came in the top 26 of 223 hospitals in the country with five green credits and was described as outstanding. It was praised for high staffing levels, and a good rating for patient confidence in doctors.

Brian Hunt, from the Worcestershire Pensioners' Action Group, said the findings were unsurprising.

"You ask anyone and they will praise the staff at the Royal, but hardly anyone has a good word to say about waiting times.

"I have had two hip replacements and am supposed to have follow-up appointments every six months, but the last one was after 27 months.

"I think the care for the over-50s is going down hill."

Dr Charles Ashton, medical director for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We would like to reassure older people in Worcestershire that they will be well cared for in our hospitals and that we are constantly working to improve our services.

"The survey rightly highlights our excellent staffing ratios for both doctors and nurses - something which clearly demonstrates our commitment to providing excellent care, as do developments such as our dedicated acute stroke unit.

"Our overall mortality rates have improved significantly in the last year and are now better than the national average - but unfortunately this progress is not reflected in the survey. It is also a shame that there was no score to reflect the quality of the nursing or physiotherapy.

"We are working hard with our PCT partners to improve our performance in the service areas covered by the survey."

Copies of Saga's Guide are available on 0845 3000892.