SEVERAL Merseyside hospitals scored top marks in a national patient survey.

The in-patient survey 2010, carried out by the Care Quality Commission, surveyed 66,000 in-patients nationally.

It asked up to 64 questions about quality of care, waiting times, cleanliness and staff.

Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (LHCH) in Broadgreen scored the best marks in the country in five categories, and Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology gained four top marks.

It is the fifth year in a row that LHCH has gained the best mark in the country for “overall patient care”.

In 44 areas, Liverpool Women’s Hospital scored in the top 20% of trusts nationally, and St Helens and Whiston hospitals gained this rating in 19 areas.

Fazakerley hospital fell into the bottom 20% of trusts in 16 questions, including how long A&E patients waited to get a bed.

But it scored into the top 20% for three questions.

The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen improved its scores, with only three areas falling into the bottom 20%.

Previous bad marks for its food showed improvement, with the hospital falling into the middle 60% of trusts for its meals.

Director of nursing and quality, Helen Porter, at Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology said: “We are committed to delivering excellent patient care.

“Since last year’s positive results, we have taken steps to make further service improvements and maintain a higher 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 cancer patients that receive treatment here at our centre.”

Diane Wake, director of nursing and operations at the Royal and Broadgreen, said staff were “delighted” patients were happy with services.

She said: “We are proud to offer high-quality care and treatment to our patients.

“I would like to thank our dedicated staff for all their hard work in making sure that our patients receive the best care possible.”

Raj Jain, chief executive of LHCH, added: “These results are fantastic. To be voted by patients as the top performing trust in the country for overall patient care for the fifth consecutive year is a real achievement, and one that all our staff and volunteers should rightly be proud of.

“Our score in the category is even better than that of last year.I am justifiably very proud of all our staff and volunteers, and of the excellent, compassionate, safe and dedicated care that they provide every day to every patient.”