THE boss of Colchester’s hospitals welcomed progress being made, but warned more improvements were needed.

Dr Gordon Coutts, who heads Colchester University NHS Foundation Trust, described 2011/12 as a solid, positive year.

He admitted there was still a lot to improve at Colchester General and Essex County hospitals.

The chief executive, speaking at the members’ council meeting, welcomed vast improvements in staff and patient satisfaction, mortality rates, accident and emergency waiting times, hospital reputation and finances.

He highlighted cancer targets and the number of patients staying more than two weeks as key areas in need of attention.

He said: “We have made progress in many fields.

“There is a long way to go and we want to keep moving with the progress we have made.

“We strive for standards we would expect if one of our loved ones came to the hospital. But we don’t meet them all now.”

Positive reviews centred on the Turner Road hospital’s reputation among its workers.

In a 2010 survey, only eight per cent of staff described their satisfaction at work as average, or above average.

Last year the same survey returned 42 per cent average or above ratings, moving the trust from the bottom 20 per cent in the country to just below the national standard.

Dr Coutts said accident and emergency waiting times were down to an average of 14 minutes to be seen and 40 minutes to be treated by a doctor.

The hospital also added 60 additional staff last year, including 55 nurses or healthcare assistants.

However, the number of patients staying for more than two weeks had increased.

The hospital had also failed to meet the NHS standard of providing treatment to cancer patients within 62 days of diagnosis.

It missed the targets in three of the year’s four quarters.