Almost all patients who stay overnight at Epsom, Sutton and St Helier Hospitals, or visit to the accident and emergency departments, would recommend the services to friends and family.

Of 1,809 patients who participated in a survey in June, 1,696 people were extremely likely or likely to recommend services at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.

The results came from the first three months of the national Friends and Family Test for patients who stay overnight in hospital and attend A&E.

Patients are asked: "How likely are you to recommend our wards or A&E department to friends and family if they need similar care or treatment?"

Director of nursing Pippa Hart said: "We are really pleased with our early findings from the Friends and Family Test, and hope that we will continue to see such positive scores into the future.

"Our patients are at the very heart of what we do, and so we are delighted to see that they think highly enough of us to recommend our services.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every patient who has filled in the questionnaire so far, and would encourage everyone who receives treatment as an inpatient or in A&E to fill in a form."

For more information visit www.nhs.uk/friendsandfamily or www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/friendsandfamily.