PATIENTS who have attended North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust's accident and emergency departments and outpatients clinics are to be asked for their views about the service they received.

A total of 850 A&E patients and 850 outpatients, who will be chosen at random, will receive a questionnaire over the next couple of weeks asking for their views on issues including how long they waited for an appointment, how long they waited to be seen and the treatment they received.

The questionnaires are anonymous and will be used to improve services and help decide on star ratings for hospitals.

Aidan Mullen, the trust's director of nursing and clinical governance, said: "We really value feedback from our patients as we are always looking at ways in which we can improve our services."