A HOSPITAL trust has defended itself against a critical watchdog report, but admits the assessment was not unexpected.

The latest annual health check from the Healthcare Commission measures how well trusts are performing on issues such as safety, the outcomes of treatment, and the standard of the environment where care is provided.

Bromley Hospital’s NHS trust, in debt by around £100million, was rated as weak for its use of resources following its well publicised financial difficulties.

The watchdog slammed the trust’s financial management and stated it failed to meet its financial targets, but said the organisation’s financial reporting was good.

Acting service delivery director Maureen Baldwin admits that the financial position of the trust is well documented but there is a recovery plan in place to bring finances into the black.

She added: “The service we provided was adequate according to the commission’s summary, which is reassuring for staff and patients, but we are striving to be better than adequate and will not rest until we have joined the country’s top performers.

“A large number of initiatives have been put in place since the start of the current financial year to address the problems identified by the Healthcare Commission and we are now on track for an improved rating next time.”

The trust, which runs the Princess Royal University Hospital in Farnborough, only scored a fair rating for its quality of services, worse than its assessment the previous financial year.

The Healthcare Commission stated that although the trust provided an adequate quality of service to patients, it “failed to maintain the good standard of performance it achieved the previous year.”

Nurse Director at the trust, Jennie Hall, says the rating was not unexpected, adding the trust had tried to quickly remedy any problems highlighted in the report.

'Excellent' mental health care

Two other local NHS trusts faired better in the latest Healthcare Commission report.

Oxleas NHS trust received the highest possible rating of excellent for both its use of resources and quality of services.

The mental health trust provides services in the boroughs of Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich and its chief executive Stephen Firn said: “Over the past year or so we have targeted our efforts on improving the things that matter most to our patients and I am delighted that this has paid off.”

Bromley Primary Care Trust (PCT) received a fair rating for its quality of services but was awarded an excellent score for its use of resources.

The PCT’s chief executive, Simon Robbins, said: “I’m pleased with our rating for the use of resources and financial management and the fact that we reached our target reduction in teenage conceptions, but clearly we must work harder to improve the quality of services.”