MAIDSTONE and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has been named and shamed as one of the country’s 14 worst performing hospital trusts.

The trust, which runs Maidstone Hospital, Pembury Hospital and Kent & Sussex Hospital, Tunbridge Wells, has been given a zero star rating in the 2002-03 NHS performance ratings. The year before it had a two star rating.

Under the system each hospital trust is given either a three, two, one or zero star rating. Hospital trusts that get a zero star rating are said to have shown the poorest level of performance when judged against nine key targets or clinical performance criteria.

The Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is said to have significantly underachieved on lengths of waits in accident and emergency departments, outpatient waiting times, and financial management.

It also underachieved on the number of inpatients waiting longer than the national standard.

Hospital managers say that although the zero-star rating given by the Commission For Health Improvement was disappointing, patients were getting good clinical care.

In addition, new ways of working and extra investment was set to improve those services which had not met the targets this year.

Trust managers also pointed out that its consultants saw 11,000 more patients last year than the year before and carried out nearly 2,000 more inpatient and day case procedures.

Despite the enormous increase in demand only three patients had to wait longer than the national 12-month target for surgery, while just 13 waited a little longer than the 21-week target for their first outpatient appointment.

Both the Maidstone Weald Primary Care Trust and the South West Kent Primary Care Trust were given a one star rating in what was the first national assessment of the performances of primary care trusts.