Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre continues to be a hit with patients, as they have given the hospital top marks in the national Friends and Family Test.

Patients who completed the survey at the hospital throughout the month of December gave it a perfect score of 100 per cent for ophthalmology and the day ward, both of which have scored 100 per cent every month for the past year.

The outpatient department scored 99.9 per cent and the hospital achieved an overall rating of 99.8 per cent from the 1,083 patients who completed the Friends and Family questionnaire during December.

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

Patients are asked to rate their care based on the likelihood that they would recommend it to their friends and family.

Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre was the first hospital of its kind to be rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission across the five domains of the quality mark.

Andrew Oakerbee, hospital director at Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre, said: "Outstanding patient care sits at the heart of everything we do, which is why the Friends and Family Test is one of many measures we use to ensure that we maintain the highest standards of quality care."