STROKE victims have a good chance of survival in Hillingdon, according to statistics published recently.

The UK's performance was analysed and Hillingdon Hospital ranked in the top third of hospitals due to the low mortality rate of stroke patients.

"Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust is pleased that the table compiled by Dr Foster on mortality rates reflects the good work that happens at the hospital," said a spokeswoman for the hospital. "Staff at our stroke unit, Somers Ward, are continuously striving to improve the care which patients who suffer from stroke receive."

The figures show that the standardised mortality rate for the hospital over the past six years was 92 deaths out of an average of 100, with the highest rate being 129 deaths and the lowest 72.

Stroke is Britain's third biggest killer and the most common cause of adult disability in the UK, affecting one in every four men and one in every five women over the age of 45.

The affliction is named a stroke because part of the brain is suddenly denied its blood supply, which causes that section to die.