Care UK, which runs the Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre, has invested £170,000 in the hospital to replace the endoscopy disinfectant washers.

This is the latest in a line of investments made over the past year worth more than £1 million, which have included ultrasound equipment, a C-arm X-ray machine for use in theatres, and an outlay of almost £900,000 on a new MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) facility.

The new endoscopy equipment will bring the hospital's endoscopy service into compliance with updated best practice guidance - the hospital already has Joint Advisory Group (JAG) accreditation which it has held for almost 10 years. The equipment will reduce operational cycle times by up to 50 per cent.

Chester Barnes, hospital director at Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre, said: "This latest investment allows us to operate a more efficient and patient-centred endoscopy service.

"The levels of investment we have received from Care UK over the past year stand testament to my senior colleagues' confidence in the levels of service we provide our patients and their commitment to the highest standards of patient care in Somerset."

Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre is the first elective surgical hospital in the country to receive a Care Quality Commission report giving an overall 'Outstanding' with a clean sweep of 'Outstanding' ratings in every individual domain of the inspection grading.

The CQC's inspectors judged the centre to be 'Outstanding' against the categories of 'safe', 'effective', 'caring', 'responsive' and 'well-led' care.

No other NHS, independent or private hospital CQC report published so far has the five outstanding stars on its overall rating.

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Only the top three per cent of hospitals in the country have been awarded the 'Outstanding' rating by the quality watchdog.

Of the nine treatment centres run by Care UK, three are rated 'Outstanding' and the rest are rated 'Good'.

The services offered at the hospital cover: joint replacements (hips, knees and shoulders), general orthopaedic surgery, ear, nose and throat, endoscopy, general surgery, gynaecology, ophthalmology (such as cataract surgery), pain management, urology, and diagnostic imaging (X-rays, MRI and ultrasound).