A NATIONAL survey has brought good news for Okehampton Community Hospital. The survey, released on Wednesday November 21, has shown that community hospitals in Devon are considered among the best in the country. The hospitals were visited earlier in the year by Patient Environment Action Teams (PEAT), who found that food served and hospital environment at most hospitals were well above the mark. Okehampton Community Hospital received ?excellent? ratings in both categories. Margaret Haymer, modern matron at Okehampton hospital said: ?It?s great news for community hospitals but even better news for patients. ?The results clearly show that the National Patient Safety Agency rates our food, cleanliness and efforts to help patients feel as comfortable as possible, as among the best in the country. ?NHS staff in Devon do a wonderful job, whether they are nurses, porters or cleaners, it?s nice to see their hard work being recognised in this way.? She added: ?It is the second year running we have received top marks ? we were delighted last time but this year we are just overjoyed. ?Time and again Okehampton Hospital comes up trumps. ?I?d like to extend my thanks to our staff who continue to maintain the high standards we have come to expect.? The PEAT programme was established to asses NHS hospitals in 2000 and is run by the National Patient Safety Agency. Under the programme, every in-patient healthcare facility in England with more than ten beds is assessed annually and given a rating of excellent, good, acceptable, poor or unacceptable. In Devon, twenty one community hospitals were visited and no hospital received a poor rating in either of the two categories.