THIRTEEN out of the 17 largest hospitals in the region have been awarded a top rating for both cleanliness and food.

Most of the hospitals were already rated, by the Department of Health, as "green" - or good - on a traffic light system of assessment.

But a significant minority of hospitals throughout the region, including many smaller hospitals, are still classified as "amber", which means they are only achieving acceptable standards.

No hospital in the North-East and North Yorkshire was rated as poor, denoted by red.

The inspections were carried out by Patient Environment Action Teams (Peat), which looked at various aspects of cleanliness and food standards.

Among the larger hospitals which retained their green rating from last year are: the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough; Sunderland Royal Hospital; the University Hospital of North Durham, Durham City; Scarborough General Hospital; Harrogate Healthcare; and the Tyneside trio of the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle General Hospital and the Royal Victoria Infirmary.

There was cause for celebration at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, St Luke's mental health hospital, in Middlesbrough, Sedgefield Community Hospital and Shotley Bridge Hospital, which all moved up a grade from acceptable to good.

But Darlington Memorial Hospital was relegated from good to acceptable.

Other hospitals that managed only amber ratings included York District Hospital, The Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, North Riding Infirmary, in Middlesbrough, Homelands Hospital, in Crook, County Durham, County Hospital, in Durham, and the Pierremont Unit, in Darlington.

Nationally, 192 acute and community hospitals were given top marks for food and cleanliness, compared to 81 last year.

Overall, the number of English hospitals classed as good for cleanliness increased from 464 (60 per cent) last year to 686 (78.7 per cent) for 2003. There were 186 (21.3 per cent) rated as acceptable.

On the food front, the number of hospitals deemed to be good increased from 118 (17 per cent) last year to 372 (43.7 per cent).

Some 479 (56.3 per cent) were rated acceptable.

Health Minister Lord Warner said he was pleased to see that standards were continuing to rise, but both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats said the inspections were inaccurate and did not cover all aspects of cleanliness.