While 76 per cent of the country's acute hospitals are now either "performing well overall" or even better, the RSCH is among the mere 6 per cent giving "cause for concern".

Its failures are its financial management, outpatient and elective booking, excessive time in A&E and the many services provided for patients both caring and clinical.

In the assessment process, we are not told what differential weighting is given to patient care but one hopes "financial mismanagement" features prominently as this aspect is furthest away from the experiences one has when in hospital.

With a zero rating there is only one way for the next assessment to move and that is up.

-RG Jenkins, Hove