PERFORMANCE: Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust performed slightly below expected for patient mortality rates, according to this year’s Dr Foster “hospital guide”.

Its entry on the Dr Foster website gives it a Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio of 103.

An HSMR of 100 is the “expected” rate. Below 100 means fewer patients than would be expected are dying and above 100 means more than would be expected are dying.

HSMR is a measure of deaths while in hospital care based on 56 conditions that account for 80% of deaths.