The Royal United Hospital has been given a vote of confidence by its accident and emergency patients.
The hospital scored well in a survey which questioned more than 300 patients.
The overall view of the A&E experience was given a mark of eight out of ten – about the same as other hospitals across the country.
It scored 9.1 for the overall respect and dignity afforded to people, but only 3.5 out of ten for the level of information about how patients could complain about care.
Its best performances – where the hospital scored better than most others – came in the way patients were dealt with at reception and while waiting.
It scored eight for privacy at reception, 7.5 for the wait to be seen by the first triage doctor or nurse, and 7.1 for the wait before actually being examined.
The RUH was one of 66 trusts assessed by the Picker Institute Europe, an organisation that lets patients' views be heard.
Patients were asked a series of questions about their arrival at the emergency department, environment and facilities, and waiting time.
Emergency department matron Mandy Rumble said: "We are delighted with these results which reflect all of the hard work that goes into delivering emergency care.
"It is particularly pleasing to see that we have improved the experience of patients during a time when we have seen year on year increases in the actual number of patients attending the ED.
"We know that when patients visit the ED they may be worried, distressed and in pain, and our receptionists, who are trained in customer service, deliver an excellent first impression of the hospital.
"We recognise that there are still too many patients who do not feel they have been given enough privacy when discussing their condition, and this is a national issue which we will continue working to address."
In 2011-12 69,508 people attended the department, with 26,968 being admitted to the hospital.
This is higher than the previous year, where there were 66,228 visits and 25,110 admissions.
Picker chose a random sample of patients who attended the hospital in January.
The questionnaire was sent to 813 patients, and 323 returned it, giving a response rate of 40 per cent.
The survey also found that 98 per cent of people felt safe, 95 per cent felt the department was clean, and 86 per cent said they were not delayed when they were ready to leave.
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