SURVEY REVEALS MIXED RESULTS; Patients score Royal hospital food badly.

Byline: LIZA WILLIAMS

FOOD at Liverpool's main hospital has been rated among the worst in England for a second year running.

One in four people who answered the annual inpatient survey by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) ranked the Royal Liverpool's food as "poor".

One in three described it as "fair".

The results put it within the bottom 20% of hosital Trusts.

But the hospital said today it has completely overhauled the way meals are cooked and hopes next year's results will be positive.

The survey asked 72,000 people in England about their hospital stay.

The results looked at all aspects of care, from cleanliness standards and A& E services to waiting lists and nursing.

The Royal scored better in other categories and falls within the top 20% for overall patient experience.

Diane Wake, Director of Nursing and Patient Quality added: "We are pleased that the work we have done to improve patient experience has made an impact. Our new Customer Relations Team, bright red matron uniforms and a new customer care training scheme for staff have all made a difference." Merseyside success stories include the Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology and Liverpool Heart and Chest hospital in Broadgreen, which both scored among England's best 20% in the majority of categories.

Although Arrowe Park came within the average category for most questions, it scored within the worst 20% of trusts for operations and procedures, because patients felt surgical explanations were poor.

St Helens and Whiston hospitals scored within the worst bracket for A& E services, but within the best for doctors washing their hands.

Director of Nursing & Quality Helen Porter said Clatterbridge was committed to delivering excellent patient care: "Over the last year we've taken steps to make further service improvements and maintain a high standard of cleanliness and it is encouraging to see this reflected in this year's results.

"We believe the professionalism and expertise of our nursing and medical staff is second to none - so it is extremely rewarding to see this recognised by the patients who receive treatment here at our centre." Chief Executive of Liverpool Heart and Chester Hospital, Raj Jain, said: "This national recognition is fantastic news for our patients, staff and everyone involved at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital."

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NEW METHOD: Mary Doran, 70, from West Derby tries the new menu.