THE health authority responsible for the Royal United Hospital, Bath has pledged to improve services after the government gave the hospital a zero in the latest star ratings.

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Health Authority has launched a comprehensive review of the services it offers in the wake of these results.

Tim Skelton, director of modernisation for the authority, said: "We have some considerable problems in the area of Bath, Bristol and Weston.

"We know there are some issues around capacity and the pressures this creates in the system at times of peak demand."

The rating system includes patient waiting times and numbers, nursing recruitment and the hours worked by junior doctors.

RUH bosses were expecting the no-star rating after a bad year in which it has faced an overspend of £17m as well as about 2,000 patients being left off waiting list figures.

Mr Skelton said that the good points seen in the ratings should not be overlooked and that clinical performance was sound.

Some measures have already been introduced and waiting lists are falling.