Last updated 20:17, Thursday, 16 October 2008

NHS services in Cumbria are improving, according to a report published yesterday by independent health watchdogs.

The Healthcare Commission has awarded the North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust an ‘excellent’ rating for the quality of its hospital services.

This improvement on its ‘fair’ rating of the previous year was based on checks made at the West Cumberland Hospital and Cumberland Infirmary.

Carole Heatly, chief executive, said: “These scores show a massive improvement in the quality of care we give to our patients in areas that really matter to them such as waiting times and cleanliness.”

The same report awarded the county's primary care trust NHS Cumbria a ‘fair’ rating for its use of resources and quality of services. Last year the trust was rated as weak in both categories.

The judgement means that the trust has improved its services and finances over the last 12 months.

NHS Cumbria has turned around a £36.7 million deficit two years earlier than expected.

Family doctors and other health professionals now control around 60 per cent of the health budget in the county.

Maggie Chadwick, chairwoman of NHS Cumbria, said: “This report confirms we are heading in the right direction.”

Meanwhile, the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust – which provides specialist health care including mental health, learning disability, and drug and alcohol services – was assessed as ‘excellent’ in effectively managing its resources. This was an improvement on the ‘good’ rating received last year.