HOSPITALS in Colchester have received a clean bill of health, in to the latest annual report by a leading health information body.

Dr Foster’s Hospital Guide is published every year by an independently-run health firm which aims to rate and compare health trusts across the country.

Of 147 health trusts in England, 19 were exposed in the 2009/2010 report as having alarmingly high death rates.

However, Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Essex County Hospital, in Lexden Road and Colchester General Hospital, in Turner Road, was rated “in line with the expected figures” for all areas of assessment.

The hospitals were judged by their ability to prevent people from dying prematurely, enhancing quality of life for people with long-term conditions and helping people to recover from episodes of ill health following injury, and ensuring patients have a positive experience of care.

Mark Prentice, a spokesman for Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The report demonstrates the progress the trust has made as a result of our focus on improving patient safety and the patient experience.”