A North-East hospital has been named as one of the top 40 in the UK.
James Cook University Hospital, part of South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, was honoured at a ceremony in Birmingham last night.
The 1,000-bed Middlesbrough hospital was praised by the leading hospital benchmarking company CHKS after high levels of performance in 17 key areas, from mortality rates to patient waiting times.
Chief executive Simon Pleydell said: "We are delighted to receive this award for the fourth year running. It is a tribute to the skill, dedication and professionalism of our staff and demonstrates their commitment towards delivering a high quality of service for our patients.
"This is especially important in the light of the very positive Healthcare Commission report the trust has just received that also praised the commitment and hard work of our staff.
"In a particularly challenging year for the trust, this is an indication that, despite the everyday pressures hospitals face, we are still able to achieve a good performance."
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