BASILDON Hospital is starting to emerge from under a dark cloud – with medical inspectors praising improvements made since the damning Keogh Review.

Inspectors from NHS England, on behalf of official health watchdog Monitor, said they felt the hospital had now improved so much they would be happy to go there themselves if they were ill.

The endorsement comes in NHS England’s latest report, published yesterday after an inspection visit in November. Inspectors found the hospital had improved in 15 of the 28 areas NHS England singled out for action in May.

As a result of the May inspection, the hospital was put in special measures two months later.

However, inspectors have highlighted concerns of some hospital staff about error rates in prescribing medication when patients are sent home.

In a letter to the hospital, Dr David Levy, medical director at NHS England Midlands and East, said: “I want to share the team’s view of how different the trust’s culture and mood felt, as we moved around the hospital, and from speaking to staff and patients.

“It is clear the trust’s culture and the mood has shifted and it is a much more positive place to be cared in.”

The letter adds if a member of his own team fell ill, they would choose the hospital for their care.

However, 12 areas of improvement still require attention and the inspectors said they were only partly assured about these.

The report refers to improved staffing levels since the trust launched a recruitment drive to fill hundreds of vacant posts , including the hiring of many nurses from Spain and the Phillipines.

It concludes: “Wards felt quieter, calmer and were better staffed with evidence of good care being seen on the wards.”

Hospital trust chief executive Clare Panniker, said: “I am really proud of the significant progress the Keogh team noted.

“Our staff has worked really hard to improve the services we provide to our local community.”