Private hospitals top Dr Foster's 2011 Hospital Guide for joint surgery

The Dr Foster Hospital Guide is published annually, but for the first time in its ten year history the guide has included the independent sector in its analysis of knee and hip replacement.

Out of all the hospitals providing hip replacements, four out of the top five were private. Care UK was rated the top independent provider, followed by Spire Healthcare, UK Specialist Hospitals, and Ramsay Healthcare UK.

The top providers for knee replacements include UK Specialist Hospitals, Interhealth Care Services (UK), Ramsay Health Care UK and Spire Healthcare.

According to the comments registered on the NHS Choices Website, private hospitals also scored well on patient satisfaction levels. Private hospitals make up four out of the top five hospitals which patients are most likely to recommend.

97 per cent would recommend Interhealth’s The Cheshire and Merseyside NHS Treatment Centre, 96 per cent would recommend North Downs Hospital, 95 per cent would recommend Euxton Hall Hospital, and 93 per cent would recommend Fulwood Hall Hospital.

The authors state: "It is the quality of the interaction with staff which overwhelmingly makes the difference between a pleasant hospital experience and a dreadful one."

19 NHS hospitals are highlighted as having high levels of mortality by the Dr Foster report, with Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust and North Staffordshire NHS Trust scoring high on three measures of mortality. Six of the 19 hospitals with high levels of mortality are in the West Midlands.

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