HEALTH services in Wales are performing generally as well as - and on occasion better than - those in other parts of the UK, new figures show.

Covering areas such as 30-day in-hospital death rates after admission for heart attack or stroke, hip surgery within two days of fracture, hospital admissions for asthma, lung disease COPD, high blood pressure and uncontrolled diabetes, and healthy life expectancy, the figures are acknowledged as being experimental.

But it is hoped that in future they can be refined and expanded to provide a comprehensive, balanced comparison of key health indicators in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Figures indicate that Wales does well in areas such as stroke death rates and hospital admissions for asthma. The former may be linked to stroke services development since Wales fared poorly in a 2009 UK audit. Gwent’s stroke services were reorganised last year and performance against key treatment targets improved greatly - and a new Wales stroke action plan has been published this month.

Wales also demonstrates improved performance in terms of patients surviving in hospital after admission following a heart attack.

Thirteen comparators were developed after the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) asked for evidence of how devolved nations’ healthcare fares in comparison to each other. The figures date from 2013, but it is hoped a more up-to-date picture can be provided in future.