Highs and low of health trust rankings revealed

NEW NHS league tables show three of the North East's hospital trusts are ranked in the top 30 nationally - but one is far lower.

- SAM VOLPE

While the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust is effectively the highest rated nonspecialist hospital trust in the country, across the river the Gateshead Health NHS Trust is ranked 83rd.

The return of rankings has been part of the Labour Government's plan to push accountability in the health service and the published table now highlights scores for each hospital trust in the country along with which quartile trusts fall in. Northumbria Healthcare is ranked ninth overall, but all the trusts above are dedicated to a particular specialism.

At the other end of the table, Gateshead's position is primarily due to concerns about its finances, hospital bosses said. The County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust is also in the third "segment" meaning it's below halfway in the league table.

Both the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust and the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust are rated in the top thirty too - with this meaning that the Newcastle trust has continued its improvement, in the eyes of the Department of Health and Social Care.

How North East NHS trusts rank

Northumbria Healthcare - average score 1.74, ranked 9.

South Tyneside and Sunderland - average score 2.18, ranked 21

Newcastle Hospitals - average score 2.29, ranked 26

County Durham and Darlington - average score 2.34, ranked 66