A hospital trust is achieving and in some areas surpassing national average performance levels, according to a Government report just published.

Performance indicators produced by the Department of Health show that Airedale NHS Trust is performing to the national average in all areas and above average in key areas such as clinical performance.

The Steeton-based trust is particularly praised for ensuring that 100 per cent of all breast cancer patients are seen within the recommended two-week period from GP referral.

No patients have to wait more than four hours on a trolley before they are found a bed, compared to the national average of around 13 per cent.

However, the study has highlighted a number of concerns, including a shortage of nurses and a rise in the number of complaints unanswered during the statutory four-week period.

The trust's clinical effectiveness and its capacity and capability to provide health care are better than the English average, with its reduction in the number of consultant vacancies putting it in the highest band.

Patient focus is also better than the English average, with levels of cancelled operations, trolley waits and two-week breast cancer waits all in the highest performance category.

Efficiency levels and improvements over last year are in common with the national average.

Overall, the trust has improved in line with the national average in clinical effectiveness, patient focus and efficiency levels, and better than average in capacity and capability.

Deputy chief executive Janet Crouch said: "Airedale has performed fairly well in everything and there are no particular problems.

"We do look at the figures to compare our performance to see if there's anything that can be improved on."

The figures reveal there has been an increase of 37.7 per cent in the number of nurse, midwife and health visitor vacancies at Airedale since last year, but the number of consultants in posts has improved 105.4 per cent with no vacancies left.

Staff sickness rates decreased by 13.7 per cent.

The number of complaints unanswered within four weeks has risen by 6.6 per cent and there was an 8.7 per cent increase in the number of people missing outpatient appointments.

Outpatients seen within 13 weeks from a GP referral was down slightly by 2.2 per cent.

There was a 94 per cent increase in the number of emergency admissions within 28 days of discharge following treatment for a fractured hip, although the number of deaths following hip operations dropped by 30.3 per cent.

Emergency re-admissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge following a stroke were down by 13.4 per cent, although the number of deaths within 30 days of people admitted with a stroke rose by 18.1 per cent.

This is the third time the NHS has produced performance indicators, which compare the performance of health and hospital trusts in England.

It is part of a Government drive to give more information about local hospitals and to encourage health trusts to improve any areas.

In future, the performance figures will be included along with the management information on which the Government's "star ratings" of hospital trusts are currently based.