HEALTHCARE has improved across Worcestershire, particularly in our hospitals, according to a national report by an independent watchdog.

The quality of patient care and the use of resources has got better across the county’s NHS trusts according to performance ratings published by the Healthcare Commission today.

All 391 NHS trusts in the country were rated for quality of services and use of resources as excellent, good, fair or weak.

Our ambulance and mental health care were rated among the best in the country, featuring in the top 26 per cent in England for quality.

The report measures performance in infection control, patient waiting times in A&E and for cancer treatment, GP access and how quickly ambulances respond to 999 calls.

The biggest improvement was in the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust which manages the county’s three main acute hospitals – Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester, the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch and Kidderminster Hospital. The acute trust, now applying to become a foundation trust, was rated “good” for the quality of services it delivers and “fair” for use of resources for 2007/08, a significant improvement on the previous assessment (2006/07) when the trust was rated “weak” in both areas. Trust chairman Michael O’Riordan said: “Last year’s double weak rating was a bitter disappointment – but we have shown that we have the determination and the ability to turn things around.”

The West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust and the Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, which runs Newtown Hospital in Worcester, both scored “excellent” for quality of services for 2007/08.

The mental health trust showed the most mixed fortunes of any of our NHS trusts, rated “excellent” for quality of service but “weak” for use of resources. The mental health trust was the only trust in the county that has not improved on one or both of its scores from last year.

Worcestershire Primary Care Trust which manages the county’s five community hospitals, our GPs and dentists was rated “fair” for both categories for 07/08, improving on the previous year when the trust was rated “fair” for quality of services and “weak” for use of resources.

However, the report says Worcestershire health chiefs need to improve A&E waiting times, increase support for the mentally ill at home, reduce teenage pregnancies and develop GP registers for people at risk of coronary heart disease.

Paul Bates, chief executive of Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, said: “The report also highlights some of the improvements we have been able to make with regard to accessing GP services and health centres as a particular area of good practice in Worcestershire.” Both Herefordshire Primary Care Trust and Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust improved.