Airedale will be among the first 18 hospitals in the country to be visited as part of a new programme of inspections.

It and five other NHS trusts with “low risk” scores are included in the first wave to test the new Care Quality Commission system.

Some hospitals considered a priority for inspection also feature, to represent a variation in care.

The first set of visits will take place between August and December.

Andrew Catto, executive medical director and consultant physician for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We welcome the review as an opportunity to see where we can do more to improve the experience of all patients.

Airedale was judged to be one of the top 40 performing hospitals in the country by CHKS, an independent provider of healthcare intelligence last May.