NHS league tables: does a 5-star rating indicate 5-star care?

The Hospital and Ambulance Services: Comparative Performance Guide 1993-1994 rates all major hospitals in England according to criteria drawn from The Patient's Charter. It is important to interpret the performance ratings carefully as the data do not speak for themselves. Crude data about waiting times may be misleading. An improvement in the waiting times for some treatments may mask increased waiting times for others, perhaps painful, treatments. More informative measures relating to the quality of care are necessary to make meaningful distinctions between the hospitals.