HOSPITAL chiefs are delighted after a national award for high standards of patient safety, clinical care and staff training led to its insurance premium being slashed.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust - which runs Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Kidderminster Hospitals and the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch and - has achieved Level Two accreditation for general clinical services and maternity services in the national Clinical Negligence Scheme For Trusts.

The award followed four days of site visits and staff interviews.

As well as providing official recognition for the trust's efforts to improve the quality of care, the award also means a reduction of £800,000 from the annual insurance premium which the trust has to pay the NHS Litigation Authority.

The trust's director of nursing, Rachel Overfield, said: "We are delighted with our success in this very thorough and demanding inspection process.

"Our head of risk services, Chris Rawlings, and head of midwifery, Elaine Newell, were supported excellently by all the staff who took part in the review.

"It is a reward for a great deal of hard work which has been done and sends out a clear message that this is a trust which takes patient safety very seriously indeed - a message which is reinforced by the number of categories in which we scored 100 per cent.

Ms Overfield added that moving up to Level Two built on last year's success, when the trust achieved Level One.

She said: "It demonstrates not only that we have in place the right systems and safeguards, but also shows clearly that our doctors and nurses are aware of those systems and safeguards and are using them properly."

"We will continue to look for ways to offer better, safer treatment to our patients, and we are now working with the NHS Litigation Authority to pilot some new, wider-ranging standards."

Trust chief executive John Rostill added: "This achievement demonstrates we meet the required standards of patient safety.

"We are not complacent, though, and we will continue to look for ways to improve on our performance and move towards Level 3 accreditation."