A MATERNITY hospital which includes Royston in its catchment area has been rated as best performing in the east of England. The Rosie maternity hospital in Cambridge gained its recognition in a Healthcare Commission review of the country s maternity ser

A MATERNITY hospital which includes Royston in its catchment area has been rated as "best performing" in the east of England.

The Rosie maternity hospital in Cambridge gained its recognition in a Healthcare Commission review of the country's maternity services.

Birte Harlev-Lam, head of midwifery at the Rosie, said: "More than 5,000 women give birth here every year and this means we know we're offering them a very high quality service."

The review described the Rosie as being safe and effective and it supported women during childbirth, giving them a positive.

The hospital's high standards for monitoring and screening and its commitment to vulnerable mothers were also recognised in the review.

The Rosie also scored highly on staffing levels, which have seen the recruitment of an extra 30 midwives in the past six months - and plans are in place for more staff to be taken on as the area's birth rate increases.

Ms Harlev-Lam said: "The rating reflects how hard the team at the Rosie has been working. They show that they are committed to providing the highest quality of care and to making this an excellent place for women to give birth."

Across the whole of the country, the Healthcare Commission looked at 148 maternity hospitals.

Anna Walker, the commission's chief executive, said: "There have been serious concerns about maternity services. That is why we have carried-out a wide-ranging review."

She said the purpose of the review was to "encourage improvement" and get all NHS trusts performing to the standards of the best.

"Overall, it is positive that more than half of the trusts were in the best or better performing categories," she said. "Those trusts that were least well performing should as a matter of urgency take steps to improve.