A NEW review of Hereford County Hospital has upheld the high view most patients and carers have of services there.

The review was a first for Healthwatch Herefordshire (HH), the newly-formed health watchdog for the county.

Wye Valley NHS Trust (WVT) welcomed representatives from HH onto the hospital site to quiz patients and relatives about their views on the hospital and the care being provided.

HH chair Paul Deneen said a majority of patients and carers interviewed were "very positive" about their experience at the hospital.

The review team spent specific time with post 16 students seeking their views about health and social care in the county.

"This was very useful as it revealed that our young people want to improve access to confidential advice and services. We shall make sure this is fed back to the Trust,” said Paul.

All findings from review will be shared with the Trust.

WVT chief operating officer Neil Doverty, said he was pleased Healthwatch Herefordshire had spent the morning on the site and was looking forward to working with the organisation to improve patient experience.

“It’s important that we have an organisation like this which can take up the concerns of local people and we look forward to receiving Healthwatch Herefordshire’s reports to see how we can further improve the quality of the services we provide,” he said.