Good ratings for local health service

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust has received two overall 'good' ratings in the first ever Healthcare Commission annual health check, which assesses the performance of trusts across the country.

The new assessment is split into two sections – one which measures the quality of services and another which assesses how well trusts use their resources. Every trust in England is given a rating of either excellent, good, fair or weak on each.

"I am pleased that we have performed well in the first annual health check which looks both at how well we manage our resources and the quality of our services," says acting chief executive Tim Higginson.

"Thanks to the hard work and dedication of all of our staff we performed especially well in the new targets set this year. These are especially important as they reflect our work and commitment to improve the health of our local area. They also involve the efforts of staff from all over the Trust, from housekeeping staff contributing to reducing MRSA rates to radiographers ensuring their patients are seen as quickly as possible."

Southwark Primary Care Trust, which oversees GPs' surgeries, received a 'fair' rating in both categories.

"I warmly congratulate local hospitals and the primary care trust for the good ratings they have received, particularly in the services provided to patients by local hospitals," said Cllr Denise Capstick, Southwark's executive member for health and adult care.

Cllr Capstick added: "The local primary care trust has been assessed as providing a fair service in a challenging area with many health inequalities. There is very good prevention work going on at the moment and there are more plans for the future. The cuts being forced on the primary care trust are likely to hit this type of prevention and outreach work first."

Lambeth PCT – based in Lower Marsh – is one of only eight in the country to receive a 'double good' rating. "These two results confirm a superb performance across the PCT and this is thanks to the skill and dedication of our clinicians and support staff," says Lambeth PCT chair Jane Ramsey. "They demonstrate to our community that over the year we have improved the quality of local NHS services whilst maintaining strong financial management."