A hospital's accident and emergency department has been named the worst in the country, according to feedback from patients.

Chase Farm Hospital’s A&E department was given a rating of -30 out of 100 in the first Family and Friends test, the only one in the country to receive a negative rating.

The survey, results of which were released today, asks patients whether they would recommend the NHS service they have received to friends and family who need similar treatment.

Out of the 341 patients who responded to the survey, 78 said they were extremely unlikely and 43 said they were unlikely to recommend the hospital.

In contrast, only 69 respondents said they were very pleased with the service they had been given at the hospital in The Ridgeway in Enfield.

Barnet Hospital emergency department in Wellhouse Lane was given a rating of 15, with 81 of 194 respondents giving very positive feedback. This made it 192nd out of the 200 surveyed.

This survey comes after the NHS announced it would  decide in September whether to close Chase Farm A&E and move services to Barnet and North Middlesex hospitals.

The closure is based on whether primary care services in Enfield, including GPs and Barnet Hospital, can cope with the influx of new patients.

A spokesman from Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital Trust said the hospital had received the results with “concern.”

He added: “We understand that our response rate is lower than expected and that a lot of the feedback, particularly with regard to waiting times, is disappointing.

“We are working with ward leaders and heads of department to ensure that all staff are more aware of the importance of this feedback and that all eligible patients are encouraged to fill it in.”

The spokesman also said it would work on improving the way the hospital trust collected feedback, since only 8.6 per cent of eligable patients at Chase Farm and 4.9 at Barnet actually responded to the survey.

The trust's interim chief executive director Dr Tim Peachey added: “These initial results from the Friends and Family test signal a huge step towards greater transparency in the NHS, which we believe is a key factor in improving patient experience.

“Like many other trusts in London we have received useful feedback which we will use to make positive changes at ward level right up to hospital level.”