Hospital trust's women's and maternity care rated among best in the world
The Princess Anne Hospital was named in a list of 129 top specialist care centres globally by US news magazine and website Newsweek.
In addition, Southampton General Hospital was ranked number 24 out of 80 in a list of the best hospitals in the UK with a score of 83.5 out of 100.
A total of 1,000 hospitals from the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Australia and Israel featured in the groundbreaking ranking project.
Countries were selected on standard of living and life expectancy, population size, number of hospitals and data availability, while hospitals were selected on recommendations from medical experts, results from patient surveys and medical key performance indicators.
Among those featured in the lists, which include a global top 100, leading hospitals in each country and the best specialist centres, are the Mayo Clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital in the US, Singapore General Hospital, University of Tokyo Hospital and the Charité hospital in Berlin.
The Princess Anne Hospital provides a comprehensive maternity service for around 6,000 women every year, with regional and national expertise in fetal and maternal medicine. It is also home to leading fertility, gynaecology, breast imaging and genetics services and the regional centre for neonatal intensive care.
Southampton General Hospital, the third largest hospital in the UK list with 1,300 beds, is a specialist centre for services ranging from oncology, major trauma and intensive care to neurosciences, cardiology and orthopaedics, as well as children’s services delivered via Southampton Children’s Hospital.
Clinicians across University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, which runs both sites, have been at the forefront of a number of major medical and scientific breakthroughs and pioneering projects in recent years.
These include introducing an IVF treatment which allows fertilisation to take place inside the body as opposed to the laboratory, developing a 5p-sized device to monitor the womb and hosting the first two series of Channel 4’s groundbreaking One Born Every Minute.
Doctors in the city also implanted the world’s smallest pacemaker, carried out the UK's first isolation treatment for liver cancer and a created a 'headphone' device to detect brain injuries.
Staff have also had widespread national influence and prominence, heading up medical bodies and charities including Cancer Research UK, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, the British Cardiovascular Society and the Alcohol Health Alliance UK.
“We really are delighted to be recognised among the best hospitals in the world and UK and it is testament to the quality and dedication of staff throughout the organisation who are constantly pushing the boundaries and striving for excellence,” said Dr Derek Sandeman, medical director at UHS.
“Our hospitals are ranked alongside some of the most esteemed institutions in global healthcare, with our maternity and women’s services among the best in the world, so this is an amazing feat and something we can be extremely proud of.”