Vince Cable

The two main hospitals and the local NHS Primary Care Trust all passed the latest test of performance. None reached the "excellent" grade of Barts, Great Ormond Street, Guys and Royal Marsden, though none failed.

Hospitals and Trusts were judged according to "quality of service" (a scale of Excellent; Good; Fair; Weak) and "core standards" (Fully Met; Almost Met; Partly Met; Not Met).

Kingston scored 'Good' and 'Almost Met'; the West Middlesex scored 'Fair' and 'Fully Met'; and the PCT - which provides community nursing and physiotherapy and runs services out of Teddington Memorial Hospital ranked 'Fair' and 'Almost Met'. Hammersmith Hospital which provides cancer services for many local residents is 'Good' and 'Fully Met'.

Vincent Cable MP, who has visited both leading hospitals and the PCT in recent weeks, said that "according to these tests, which apply to the year April 2006 to March 2007, the core standards - which include cleanliness - are being met at all our local facilities. Kingston scores a little above the West Middx in terms of quality of services but neither is 'weak' (nor, for that matter 'excellent'). There is, nonetheless, plenty of room for improvement."