Chiefs lose rating fight

Worcestershire hospitals have lost a battle to prove they offer patients value for money.

They challenged the findings of a report by the Audit Commission which said they had failed to make the best use of resources.

But the appeal has been dismissed and today healthcare officials said they were "deeply disappointed."

They claimed the findings were "unfair, damaging and misleading".

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which manages Kidderminster Hospital, the Alexandra Hospital at Redditch and Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester, has made dramatic savings which included axing 500 posts.

At one stage last year the trust was said to be £30 million in the red.

Officials believed they had done "everything possible to balance the books" but the Audit Commission has downgraded the Trust, claiming it performed "inadequately."

The Healthcare Commission has confirmed that it will be giving the trust a "poor" rating for its spending record last year.

Trust chairman Michael O'Riordan said: "In the last financial year and the current one, staff at the Alexandra, Kidderminster and Worcestershire Royal Hospitals have shown dedication and determination in rising to the challenge of balancing the books.

"To write their efforts off and condemn us to a poor rating on the basis of debts from years gone by is unfair on our staff, damaging to their morale and the reputation of this trust."

Chief executive John Rostill said in their auditor's local evaluation they should have been given an "adequate" rating on efficiency and value-for-money.

But this had been downgraded by the Audit Commission. "As soon as we found out what had happened we launched an immediate appeal, but that has been dismissed."

By Sue Smith