PATIENTS have praised the care provided by North Bristol NHS Trust, which runs Frenchay and Southmead hospitals.

Recently discharged patients singled out doctors, nurses and the overall care on offer at the two busy hospitals as significantly better than average in a survey of the trust's services.

The survey was sent to a random sample of 850 patients discharged from the trust in November 2003.

Questions were grouped into nine categories including admission to hospital, the hospital and the ward, doctors, nurses, care and treatment, pain, operations and procedures and leaving hospital.

Its annual aim is to discover what improvements can be made to healthcare services and to find out what patients think about the trust in general.

The results of the survey contribute to the trust's annual star ratings.

Director of nursing Ruth Brunt said: "The survey findings provide us with an extremely valuable insight into what our patients think of the care we provide.

"This allows us to focus our attention on the areas our patients tell us need further improvement in order to make their experience even better.

"It was particularly encouraging to see patients express their appreciation of the caring and dedicated approach of our medical staff and nurses."

She added that before and after care are aspects of healthcare that need to be reassessed.

She said: "The areas patients identified as needing more attention included the processes that occur before patients come into hospital and the services provided after they leave hospital.

"Issues patients raised included having a choice of admission date and their families not being given sufficient information after their family member leaves hospital. "These are issues which we are working hard to put right."