STEETON'S Airedale Hospital has once again been recognised for the quality of its health services.

It has been awarded top marks in the national NHS performance ratings.

Airedale NHS Trust was given three stars for achieving the "highest levels of performance" in the ratings published by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) this week.

The trust met all nine of the key targets including financial management, emergency admissions and the total number of patients waiting for treatment.

Airedale NHS Trust was also praised in the categories of accident and emergency waiting times, information for outpatients, quality and co-ordinated patient care, privacy and dignity and waiting times for in-patient care.

Trust chief executive Bob Allen said: "We are delighted that Airedale NHS Trust has been recognised as performing at the highest level. This rating demonstrates how hard the staff have been working to deliver the highest level of health service for our local population.

"We have made significant improvements in many areas and the staff should be recognised for their effort in giving Airedale NHS Trust the highest of ratings.

"This has also opened up the opportunity for us to consider the Government's invitation to apply for Foundation Hospital status. This is something that the trust board will be discussing shortly."

Craven, Harrogate and Rural District Primary Care Trust was also given a three star rating, for both its own performance and that of the mental health service it runs in Harrogate District.

The PCT oversees NHS services in Craven and Harrogate, monitoring its performance and allocating £170 million of local NHS spending.

Brigadier Johnny Wardle, chairman of the PCT, said: "I would like to pay tribute to the hard work of all our 800 staff and the local GPs, optometrists, community pharmacists and dentists. Their dedication and skill has been instrumental in this assessment."

Penny Jones, PCT chief executive, added: "The star ratings are an important benchmark of how well we are doing across a wide range of indicators, including access to services and improving health, service provision.

"For the first time, local people, as well as the partner organisations, will be able to see how we compare with similar organisations up and down the country."

Bradford District Care Trust, which managed mental health services in Craven, was awarded two stars in the ratings.

This is the first time since the trust was created in April 2002 that its performance has been assessed.

The ratings are based on performance across a range of indicators, reflecting Government priorities, clinical issues, patient focus and capacity and capability of the organisations.