WEST Essex Primary Care Trust has gone a step better than last year in a national assessment of financial performance by an independent watchdog.

In an Audit Commission report the trust is shown to be performing well against five key performance themes ranging from financial management to value for money.

Its overall rating of three out of a possible four was better than the two scored last year, thus improving from an adequate performance to one that was consistently above minimum requirements.

Chief executive Aidan Thomas said: “This is really good news. Strong financial management is important to ensure that our resources are used to make a real difference to local health services.

“We know financial performance has a direct impact on the quality of outcomes for patients. We will use our improved performance this year as a springboard for further improvement in the future.”