Renal units in north Cumbria have been rated the best in the country by their patients.

The facilities at Carlisle's Cumberland Infirmary and Whitehaven's West Cumberland Hospital came top in eight of the 13 areas assessed as part of a new patient experience report.

The units, run by North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust (NCUH), were then ranked best for overall patient experience.

Renal units treat people with kidney conditions and care includes dialysis and transplantation. Many patients have chronic conditions requiring frequent, scheduled visits to the hospital.

The UK Renal Registry and the British Kidney Patient Association patient experience report looked at 39 renal units from across the country to compile the report - the first of its kind.

A total of 8,162 patients participated over a two week period, including many in north Cumbria.

The report covered the Carlisle and Whitehaven hospitals, as well as outreach clinics in Penrith and Cockermouth.

Dr Fiona Dallas, consultant nephrologist at NCUH, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for everyone who works in our renal departments. Everyone here does their very best day in, day out to make patients feel welcomed, cared for and informed.”

The report, called the Patient Reported Experience Measure, saw patients asked 43 questions covering 13 themes.

The North Cumbria trust score 9.31 out of 10 in the overall experience question.

It also got top marks in the following areas: how the renal team treat you; access to the renal team; communication; patient information; tests, sharing decisions about your care; and privacy and dignity.

Stephen Eames, chief executive of the trust, added: “This is fantastic news. Our renal service was also recognised for ‘outstanding practice' in our latest Care Quality Commission report, which demonstrates how hard the team is working to provide excellent care to our patients in west, north and east Cumbria. Congratulations to the team.”