A TREATMENT centre based at the Horton Hospital has been awarded the highest possible hygiene rating to the delight of its patients and staff.

The Horton NHS Treatment Centre, provides a number of services including pain management, spine and neck surgery, physiotherapy and cosmetic surgery.

It caters for private patients as well as those funded by the NHS with enough room for 40 people to stay overnight and a day care unit as well.

The team said members of the public not being treated at the centre were even queuing up to the use the restaurant.

The centre's head of catering, Freda Seath, said her team were 'incredibly pleased' all their hard work and dedication had paid off.

She said: "It is absolutely brilliant that we have maintained our five star rating after this recent visit for the fifth year in a row.

"As always I am extremely proud of my team and the work they do."

She added: "We ensure all inpatients have great quality food throughout their stay, as well as the queuing number of staff and members of the public that visit the restaurant for lunch on a daily basis."

The centre, run by private healthcare firm Ramsay Health Care UK, was visited by Cherwell District Council environmental health officers last month.

A routine check-up led inspectors to scoring the restaurant 'Good' when it came to food hygiene and safety and 'Very Good' in terms of its structural compliance.

Inspectors also revealed they had 'high' confidence in management and trusted that high standards would continue in the future.

The catering team passed on comment from patients who had praised its quality and food and cleanliness.

One said: "Excellent food presented well on the plate and it was lovely to meet the catering staff."

Another said: "All the food that I ordered throughout my stay was cooked and served to a very high standard.

"If only all hospital food could be such a high standard."

It celebrated its tenth anniversary last year with record patient satisfaction levels.

From July to September 2016, 100 per cent of patients said they were treated with dignity and respect, received answers from doctors and nurses they could understand and were satisfied with advice from on-site physiotherapists.

A further 97.4 per cent said they would recommend it to friends and family.

In May this year a Care Quality Commission inspection rated the centre 'Good'

Chief inspector of hospitals, Professor Mike Richards, said: "We observed that patients were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity throughout our visit.

"We saw patient information leaflets explaining procedures and after care arrangements and the leadership, governance and culture promoted the delivery of high quality person-centred care."