Hospitals in Oxford have some of the dirtiest wards in the Thames Valley region and suffer the highest level of complaints from patients, a new audit has revealed.

The report, by the Healthcare Commission, ranks Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust last for the number of complaints on nurses attitude, care and communication compared to other trusts in Thames Valley.

Health bosses are pledging to do better. Julie Hartley-Jones, chief nurse for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, which is responsible for the Radcliffe Infirmary, the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Horton Hospital, Banbury, said: "The Healthcare Commission Report relates to findings taken from 2003 to 2004.

"Since then, the trust has been making continued improvements and changes.

"We're pleased to have scored highly in the perception from our young and adult patients of a high standard of nursing care. However, there is still work to be done."

The commission's report revealed 80 per cent of people who filled in questionnaires on patients perception of nurses gave a favourable rating.

But patients dissatisfaction put the trust last, with more than five nursing complaints per 10,000 beds.

The trust came second bottom in inspections carried out between April and July 2004 into cleanliness and safety.

The trust was compared with Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust, the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust and the Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Oxford Radcliffe Patients Forum has carried out cleanliness inspections and believe the hospitals have made improvements since the survey.

Forum chairman Jaquie Pearce-Gervis said: "During our inspections they were extremely clean."