PATIENTS being treated in intensive care at Southampton’s university hospitals have the best chance in the country of surviving the most serious illnesses and injuries.

The latest Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) report showed the general intensive care unit (GICU) at Southampton General Hospital had the lowest number of deaths over a three-month period.

As part of the audit, which reviewed cases from January to March, each hospital received a score based on how ill patients were and how many survived, known as the standardised mortality ratio, with hospitals expected to meet the average of 1.0. If the number was lower it showed a better than average survival rate – and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust’s score was 30 per cent lower at 0.7.

Staff in the 25-bed unit, which sees around 2,000 patients a year from across the south of England and further afield, treat a variety of illnesses and injuries, from sepsis and pneumonia, to trauma injuries and critical care following emergency surgery.

Following a £1.5m expansion project completed last year, the unit now offers three state-of-the-art isolation rooms to help care for the most vulnerable patients – and plans are in place to upgrade the remainder of the unit’s facilities in the near future.

Dr Suzie Tanser, clinical lead for GICU, said: “I am extremely proud of all of our team and the work that they do on a daily basis.

“To achieve such great results – the best of all the reporting units – during a very busy winter period is a credit to everyone involved.

“Intensive care is very much a team effort and these results reflect the work of the whole hospital trust and all referring specialities.”

She added: “We now look forward to further developing our team and enhancing our facilities to ensure we continue to deliver the best possible experience for our patients and their relatives.”