A national report into A&E services has shown improvements in Carlisle and Whitehaven for the second year in a row.

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) A&E patient survey found that both the Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital performed better than a majority of trusts in several key areas.

The hospitals, by North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, showed improvements in six sections - including whether doctors and nurses explain treatment options and involving patients in decisions.

The trust scored in the top 20 per cent nationally on 27 out of 35 questions asked, with an average score of 8.4 out of 10 in overall experience and 9.2 out of 10 for treating patients with respect and dignity.

No questions scored in the bottom 20 per cent of trusts, however some concerns were flagged up by patients - including a long wait for medication which has now prompted improvements.

The CQC surveyed 416 people using the two hospitals between October 2016 and March 2017.

The results of the survey are used in the regulation, monitoring and inspection of the hospitals.

The trust says it has been working hard over the past 30 months to improve patient flow through the A&E.

Although still not hitting waiting times targets, it is now consistently performing better than average against the national emergency care standard - which states 95 per cent of patients should be seen, treated, admitted or discharged from A&E in under four hours.

George Wright, head of nursing for patient experience, said: "A&E staff all work under considerable pressure and the results of the survey are an absolute credit to them.

"The teams at both our hospitals are making significant progress in working to provide a safe, caring and compassionate service.

"The survey provides us with extremely important feedback on areas where we can further improve, which we will be taking immediate steps to review.”