People are getting better than average care from health services in West Kent when they have an emergency or need to be seen urgently, according to a report released today.

The Healthcare Commission review of urgent and emergency care services found those in the West Kent Primary Care Trust area were rated “better performing” – the second highest category out of four.

The area received top ratings including the time for responding to 999 ambulance calls. It fared less well for the percentage of patients dealt with within four hours of arrival at A&E and urgent care centres and the experiences patients felt they had had in A&E.

Anna Walker, the commission’s chief executive, said: “Urgent and emergency services are to be congratulated for the work they have done to improve access to services.

"There have been real improvements in the number of people getting urgent care quickly...But more could be done to get these services working together so that the right care is provided at the right time and in the right way.”

A Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust spokesman said: “We’ve met the national waiting time standard for between 96 per cent and 97 per cent of our patients in the last four months, compared to 92 per cent last year. We’re continuing to work hard on further improvements that will benefit all our patient care.”