For the third successive year, Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust has been named as one of the country's top 40 hospital trusts for its performance last year.

An international firm of healthcare consultants carried out a study of all the hospital trusts, using statistics that included mortality rates, waiting times and post-operative complications. Peter Knight, the trust's head of information management and technology, received the award at a ceremony in Birmingham.

He said: "We're really pleased to be one of the 21 hospitals that have made it into the top 40 for three years' running.

"It reflects the hard work our staff continue to put in to provide quality services."