DEATH rates at both Bradford and Airedale hospital trusts are as expected, according to a new report.

The two NHS trusts are among 113 that fall between the nine trusts in England with a higher than expected mortality rate and the 15 trusts that have a lower rate, says the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).

The medical director of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital, Dr Robin Jeffrey, said: “We welcome the release of the latest statistics showing the summary hospital-level mortality indicator as it reinforces that the Trust provides a safe level of care to its patients.”

Karl Mainprize, the medical director at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: “While this is only one of a number of measures to indicate the quality of care we provide it is a real achievement for our staff and recognises the hard work they do to make sure the care patients receive is of the highest quality and provides successful outcomes.”