Health service given fair rating

NHS Cumbria promises to work 'flat out' to speed up improvements

NHS bosses in Cumbria said services were "heading in the right direction" after it was found it to be improving in an annual performance review.

Independent watchdog, the Healthcare Commission, gave the county's primary care trust a "fair" rating for its use of resources and quality of services.

Last year it was rated as "weak" in both categories.

A spokeswoman for the trust said there was no complacency as there was still a long way to go.

During the past year, NHS Cumbria has made a series of changes and turned around a £36.7m deficit two years earlier than expected.

Maggie Chadwick, chair of NHS Cumbria, said: "This report confirms we are heading in the right direction.

"We are very pleased with the Healthcare Commission's verdict that the changes introduced over the last twelve months are beginning to pay off for patients."

She added: "There is no complacency about the work still to do and between now and the next annual health check we will be working flat-out to speed up the pace of change to improve health and wellbeing, and deliver more services closer to home."