In the National Patient Safety Agency inspections Colchester's hospitals have been awarded top marks for standards of dignity, cleanliness, and food.

Excellent ratings for all the three categories were given to the hospital in Turner Road, and Essex County Hospital, in Lexden Road.

Another hospital to get excellent grades for dignity, food and environment was the Fryatt Hospital, in Main Road, Dovercourt.

Clacton District Hospital, in Tower Road, followed the same grading in all the three.

Peter Murphy, chief executive of Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, said, "These results are very gratifying. They are down to the hard work of many staff, and not just our people, but also those working for catering and cleaning company Carillion."

Ever year all hospitals and inpatient units are assessed by the National Patient Safety Agency with 10 or more beds. The team sent by the agency for assessing is called a Patient Environment Action Team that comprises medical staff, patient representatives and members of the public.

Various things are examined by them like infection control, levels of cleanliness, standard of food offered to patients, the quality of the environment, such as decoration, maintenance and lighting.

Hospitals are ranked under various categories like excellent, good, acceptable, poor or unacceptable.