A POSITIVE patient experience has helped land St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust a nomination for a national award.

The trust has been shortlisted for the CHKS Top Hospitals Programme Patient Experience award 2015. These celebrate excellence throughout the UK and are given to organisations for their achievements in healthcare quality and improvement.

It is one of five trusts nominated including Northumbria, Salford, Taunton and Somerset and Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Jason Harries, managing director at CHKS, said: "St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust should take pride in having been shortlisted on the basis of our analysis of patient experience outcomes and wee look forward to the next stage in the process which will see us announcing a winner on May 19 at our awards ceremony in London."

Ann Marr, the trust's chief executive, said: "I am pleased that our services are rated so highly by patients. It is vital that we continue to learn from their experiences in order to further improve the high standards of care provided in our hospitals."

The awards ceremony will take place in London on May 19 and is expected to be attended by more than 200 guests, including leaders from across the healthcare sector, Department of Health and Royal Colleges and acute trusts.