Vince Cable

The ratings of the local NHS have improved in the last year in the annual ratings by the Health Care Commission.

• The Richmond and Twickenham Primary Care Trust (responsible, inter alia, for GPs and Teddington Memorial Hospital) has upgraded from "fair" to "good" both in terms of quality of service, with excellent standard of care, and financial management.

• Kingston Hospital remains "good" for quality of service - with excellent standard of care - and is upgraded from "good" to "excellent" for financial management.

• The West Middlesex remains "fair" in quality of service - but with good standard of care - and has been upgraded from "weak" to "fair" in financial management.

Vincent Cable MP, who visited Kingston Hospital this week, said that "there has been demonstrable improvement in local health care caused by a lot of money being invested and better management. I am not swayed too much by NHS targets, which are arbitrary and an encourage cheating; but hospital waiting lists have come down strikingly and there has been a marked reduction in hospital infections. Not everything is perfect, but it is good to see real progress."