THE health trust which serves Basildon and Thurrock has been praised for its customer care, clean clinics and standard of service.

Health regulator the Care Quality Commission has given NHS South West Essex Primary Care Trust the all-clear when it comes to the standards of health services it provides.

The commission – which demanded urgent action at Basildon Hospital’s accident and emergency unit in October after condemning low standards of hygiene – is reviewing health services at every PCT in the country. This coincides with the introduction of its new system of stricter standards of care.

Commission bosses have ordered ten PCTs across the UK to make drastic improvements, but called NHS South West Essex PCT a “healthy” trust.

Barbara Stuttle, deputy chief executive of the PCT, said: “This is really good news for patients. It is an endorsement of the hard work of all our staff in working to achieve our vision for the entire population served by NHS South West Essex to become one of the healthiest and best cared for in the country. The new standards cover important issues such as treating people with respect, involving them in decisions about care, keeping clinical areas clean and ensuring services are safe.”