Gateshead Health NHS Trust has been working towards this for more than a year and says it has improved procedures for collection, washing and distribution of laundry.

It has introduced training programmes and set up customer focus groups to quickly deal with complaints and queries.

The service has as also had to undergo a detailed review by JL Consulting of Newcastle.

Allan Smith, director of operations for Gateshead Health NHS Trust, said: “This is a major boost both for the hospital and the laundry department. The NHS is going through a period of transition, as it looks to modernise and update the services it provides. This is another example of the way we are doing this and it clearly demonstrates we are a customer-focussed organisation.”

The laundry department serves 13 hospitals in the area. It has 85 staff and washes 150,000 garments a week.