UHSM has been recognised as a top performing hospital in the annual Hospital Guide, launched by Dr Foster, the UK's leading health information company. The Guide provides a comprehensive assessment of standards and services in hospitals in England, and we are particularly listed along with ten others for our stroke services, which are praised for the way we care, treat and keep our patients safe.

Dr Andy Mitchell, who is medical director at NHS London provided expert opinion to the Guide and said the case for change in stroke services is compelling. He explains: "Following the recommendations of the 2007 National Stroke Strategy, Manchester and London have led the way in system redesign. Crucial to successful change was a collective determination to realise the vision of improving service quality and outcomes. Our challenge for the future will be to replicate such system-wide change in a very different commissioning environment."

Overall, Roger Taylor, Director of Research at Dr Foster said the Guide found that fewer people died last year than in any year since the mid 1950s - despite the population being larger and older. "A large part of that success is down to improvements in care, with in-hospital mortality rates falling steadily over the last ten years." .