HOSPITALS in the north of the county have a higher death rate than those in the city, according to a national report.
The Dr Foster Hospital Guide, which examines death rates at hospitals across the country, claims the number of people who die while in hospital care is "higher than expected" in hospitals run by Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The trust is responsible for King's Mill Hospital, in Sutton-in-Ashfield, as well as Newark, Mansfield and Ashfield community hospitals.
The researchers' findings show that, for every 100 people they would expect to die while in hospital care, 113 die in hospitals run by Sherwood Forest.
The figure for the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital, run by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, is 103 – "within the expected rate", says the report.
It also gives figures for the number of deaths after treatment.
This includes patients who die in hospital and those who die up to 30 days after being discharged.
At Nottingham's hospitals the figures is "lower than expected". For every 100 patients researchers would expect to die, 93 die in Nottingham, compared with 103 in Sherwood Trust hospitals but the latter figure is "within the expected" range.
Dr Foster is a healthcare organisation that collates and publishes information on healthcare performance across the country. Its latest guide covers the 12 months to March this year.
A spokesman for the Sherwood Forest trust described the report as a "smoke alarm" to highlight possible improvement.
Dr Nabeel Ali, executive medical director for the trust, said: "Whilst our mortality rate remains virtually unchanged overall, the trust board and I are not satisfied with this and want to see a more significant year-on-year improvement. We have improved our performance over the past 12 months. However, so have others and, as a result, our relative position remains much the same."
He added that improvements had been made following last year's report. For example, the mortality rate on emergency admissions at the weekend had been reduced by almost 10%.
Dr Stephen Fowlie, medical director at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "Dr Foster's Summary Hospital Mortality Indicator is an important independent confirmation for our patients and community that the care provided by our many thousands of staff is safe and of a high standard."
