PATIENTS of a private hospital in Dorchester have given it their seal of approval in an independent survey.

Results of an annual survey carried out at BMI The Winterbourne Hospital over 2014 showed that 98.1 per cent of patients who responded rated their overall quality of care as very good or excellent.

The independent analysis, which was conducted by the market research company Quality Health, was based on a sample of more than 750 patients and measured patient satisfaction across a broad range of hospital services.

These included patients’ overall impression of admission, consultant care, imaging (X-ray) anaesthetists, theatre staff, accommodation and whether they, as patients, were treated with respect and dignity.

The survey also revealed that patients at BMI The Winter-bourne gave nursing care a rating of 96.1 per cent, while consultant surgeons and physicians received a rating of 98.8 per cent.

Executive Director at the hospital Theresa Starling said: “Patients are at the centre of everything we do at our hospital and this report is vital in helping us assess what we are getting right and, importantly, what we could do better.

“In this day and age people have very high expectations of the sort of care they should receive while in hospital. These sorts of scores show that we are meeting these expectations.

“Being in hospital is usually a stressful time and we do all we can to take away that stress and make the experience a positive one. It is a credit to all the staff here that their hard work is being recognised by the people who matter most: the patients.”

She added: “We are all very proud of our hospital; everyone here goes above and beyond to ensure our patients are our priority, working hard to make each patient’s time with us as comfortable as possible.

“These results are something to be really proud of but we are continually refining our standards and will look to improve on this in the future.”