Patients who attended a Shepton Mallet hospital in November have given it a score of 100 per cent in a national audit which asks "would you recommend this hospital to friends and family?"

Since March, the team at Practice Plus Group Hospital Shepton Mallet (formerly Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre) have constantly changed the way the hospital operates to support the local NHS trust and its patients through the pandemic while reintroducing and maintaining elective, planned treatment.

While there has been much change, one thing has remained constant, and that is the popularity of the hospital among its patients - a fact borne out by the latest results from the national Friends and Family Test (FFT).

Throughout November the hospital was scored by 233 patients, and 100 per cent of them said they would recommend it to their family and friends.

Its endoscopy service, day ward, inpatient ward, outpatient department and private patient administration all achieved a score of 100 per cent.

All providers of health care are required to carry out the FFT as part of the NHS' commitment to improving the patient experience.

The results of the test rest on the level to which a patient would recommend a health care facility to their nearest and dearest.

The team at the hospital are working hard to keep it a safe, low-risk Covid environment. As a result they are encouraging patients to keep appointments unless told otherwise or if they have been in contact with someone with coronavirus, are displaying the symptoms of the coronavirus, have tested positive or have been contacted by the NHS Track and Trace Service.

Practice Plus Group Hospital Shepton Mallet was the first hospital of its kind to be rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission across the five domains of the quality mark.

It has outperformed the national average in the annual Patient-Led Assessment of the Care Environment audit, and another national patient audit, the Patient Reported Outcome Measures, identified the hospital top in the country for hip replacements, and in the top five per cent for knee replacements.

Catherine Farr, head of nursing and clinical services at Practice Plus Group Shepton Mallet, said: "My thanks go to our patients who took the time to complete the FFT survey, and to my colleagues who have maintained exceptional standards of care while rising to unique challenges.

"Attaining a score of 100 per cent is a real achievement and one we will be looking to maintain."