A GREATER Manchester hospital has been ranked the third worst in the country by patients.

Trafford Healthcare Trust, which runs Trafford General and Altrincham General hospitals, scored the lowest levels of patient satisfaction in recent surveys, according to an a new analysis by pollsters MORI.

Wythenshawe Hospital is ranked as the sixth best in the country for cleanliness, treating people with privacy, respect and dignity and involving them in their own treatment.

North Manchester get the top patient vote for primary care trusts in Greater Manchester, coming 11th nationally with Stockport the least satisfactory - the 13th worst.

Peter Morris, chief executive of the trust which runs Wythenshawe, said: "We're delighted to be rated as one of the top performing trusts in the country. We know that 50 per cent of our patients describe their care as `excellent' and 45 per cent rate it as `very good' or `good'.

"We are continuing to improve all aspects of the patient experience to ensure that every patient who comes here is treated with kindness and dignity, receives the very best treatment and does so in a clean and comfortable environment."

Jonathan Nicholls, who led the research said, said the keys to keeping patients happy were treating them with respect and dignity, involving them in healthcare decisisions, and keeping wards clean.

He said: "The emphasis on a patient-centred NHS means the views of patients are becoming increasingly important."

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