A HEALTH boss reads out letters of compliment - not complaint - from patients who are cared for at Worcestershire hospitals.

John Rostill, chief executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, reads out letters from patients who are happy with the care they have received at one of the county’s three main hospitals – but not letters of complaint – when he addresses public board meetings.

Mr Rostill read out “patient stories” during a meeting at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, when he said that the trust had received 25 letters of compliment in November, 10 in December and 17 in January.

The three letters he read out related to patients cared for at Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester, the Alexandra Hospital and Kidderminster Hospital, but no details were given which could identify them.

However, there were 47 complaints in November – nearly double the number of positive letters and three of these were not dealt with within the deadline.

Mr Rostill, reading from one of the letters, said: “I would like to say how impressed I was with the speed and professionalism of staff and the care and consideration given to me by staff.”

Mr Rostill also said he looked at letters of complaint daily as he agreed the best way to resolve them. He is expected to give a report to the next meeting on the results of his involvement in monitoring complaints.

An increase in the number of assaults on staff was also noted by the board.

Between July 1 and Sept-ember 30 last year, there were 40 assaults on staff – two intentional physical assaults, 33 non-intentional attacks by “elderly confused” patients and five assaults due to the influence of either drink or drugs.

l Your Worcester News was the only member of the media present at the board meeting.