Patients have a positive view of accident and emergency care at Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals (ORH), according to a survey by a national health watchdog.

Nine out of 10 patients rated care at the emergency departments at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington, and the Horton Hospital in Banbury, as good, very good or excellent.

According to the Healthcare Commission, the ORH also scored above the national average in nearly all categories, and was in the top 20 per cent of all trusts for a number of the questions asked. It was not in the bottom 20 per cent of trusts for any rating.

Dr Melanie Darwent, clinical lead for the emergency departments, said: "Nobody likes to have to go to the emergency department, but it's encouraging to know that our patients rate us highly when they do need to be treated by us.

“The information this survey gives us is also useful for us as we continue to improve our service.”

Areas for which patients judged the ORH as among the best performing include: Feeling involved in decisions about patient care and treatment, cleanliness of the emergency departments and toilets, being told how long the wait would be, receiving information about who to contact after leaving the emergency department, ability to find a convenient place to park in the hospital car parks, not feeling bothered or threatened by other patients.

The survey followed a report in September by the Healthcare Commission that recognised the ORH as having one of the best performing systems for the delivery of urgent and emergency care.

And in October the Healthcare Commission awarded the ORH “excellent” for its overall quality of patient care — the highest score possible.

ORH chief executive Trevor Campbell Davis said: "It is gratifying to know that as well as being officially recognised as a high-performing system, patients also feel that they are receiving a high quality of care in our emergency departments.”

Nick Kerswell, a spokesman for the Healthcare Commission, said: “Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals performed well.”