THE majority of patients, including those from West Devon, treated in the emergency department at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth feel the care they received was 'excellent' or 'very good', according to an independent survey.

The survey was commissioned by the independent health watchdog, the Healthcare Commission. More than 800 adults who attended the emergency department in February 2008 were asked to rate various aspects of their care.

Of the 315 people who responded, said the Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, eight out of ten patients (86%) rated their care as either 'excellent', 'very good' or 'good'. More than four fifths of patients, 81%, also felt they were treated with dignity and respect all of the time, compared with 78% nationally.

Staff in Derriford's emergency department see and treat around 250 patients every day.

Almost eight out of every ten patients (78%), said the survey, had confidence and trust in doctors and nurses, compared with 73% nationally.