A specialist hospital has been labelled as 'weak' by a health watchdog.
The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, in Wood Lane, Stanmore, was the only acute/specialist trust in London to have a weak quality of service in a Healthcare Commission report released last week.
The hospital, which is run by The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust, was one of only two trusts in London rated as weak for quality of services.
The trust also fell from a 'fair' rating for its use of resources in 2006/7 to a 'weak' rating this year, which is a reflection of how well the Trust is handling its finances.
However, the hospital's acting chief executive, Rob Hurd, defended the rating. He said: "We are determined to increase our capacity to meet the demand for these specialist services, and although up to now we have been constrained by our inability to develop our Stanmore site, the good news for the Trust is that our redevelopment proposals have been given outline approval by NHS London.
"Our clinical expertise has always been of the highest, and that remains the case.Unfortunately that is not reflected in the overall annual health check rating."
He also admitted that the trust had financial problems owing to the high costs of the hospital's complex operations, which had led to an historic debt they had not paid off in full.
The hospital is world-renowned for its treatment of neuro-musculoskeletal conditions, which include spinal injuries and bone tumours.
The ratings were part of the Healthcare Commission's annual health check performance rating published on October 17.
