A HOSPITAL trust’s service rating has dropped from excellent to fair in the latest performance tables.

Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust notched up an excellent score for its financial dealings. It was rated as good in the previous year.

But its quality of service, which was excellent the year before, only came out as fair this time.

If it had recorded a weak rating, it could have affected the foundation status of the trust. It has since launched plans to boost its rating.

Overall results in the region, in the Care Quality Commission’s annual performance ratings for NHS trusts in England, were on the up.

North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust was one of 37 across the country to have an overall excellent rating.

Peter Murphy, chief executive of the Colchester trust, said changes had been made to boost their service levels.

He added: “In terms of financial performance, the organisation has been transformed from one that made successive deficits to one returning successive surpluses, which are essential to fund our ambitious plans to increase our capacity and improve services.

“Our performance for the 12-month period was skewed by the excessive demand we experienced in the last three months of the year under review – January, February and March, 2009.

“However, since then, we have implemented a number of action plans which have resulted in significant improvements.

“For example, we are now achieving the four-hour A&E and the 18-week Referral to Treatment standards.

“We are also investing heavily in expanding our capacity, both in terms of beds and additional staff, which means the trust will be in a better position than it was last year to perform strongly throughout the winter.”

Mr Murphy said data issues were responsible for some of the poor performance in 2008/09, but a new chief information officer had been appointed to address this.

The results also showed the trust’s stroke care service “underachieved”, but it was praised last month following a review by the British Association of Stroke Physicians, the Royal College of Physicians and the Stroke Association.

The ratings, published today, give the Colchester trust top marks for safety and cleanliness, and dignity and respect, and praised its complaints process.

Andrew Geldard, chief executive of North Essex Partnership trust, which was rated as excellent for its finances and quality of care, said: “We have learned a lot over the past year, and we know this result is not an excuse for complacency.”

The quality commission is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. It rates each organisation, excellent, good, fair or weak.

* IMPROVEMENTS made by the region’s Ambulance service have been highlighted in the ratings.

The East of England Ambulance Service has received a fair rating on the “use of resources” and on “quality of services” – an improvement on last year’s results in both areas.

Hayden Newton, chief executive of the service, said: “Our top priority is to provide an excellent service for patients, and we are always working to improve.

“I’m really pleased these efforts have been recognised.

“The standard of pre-hospital treatment for patients in the east of England is higher than ever before.

“We’re also reaching patients faster than ever, and we are now one of the top performing ambulance trusts in England.”