No health trust in the county has scored an excellent rating in the latest performance figures.

And the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has been rated as "weak" for the third year running for the quality of its services.

The Trust made national newspaper headlines when 90 people died after contracting C-diff at its hospitals between April 2004 and September 2006.

The Care Quality Commission's annual performance ratings report, published on Thursday, gives a detailed picture of how the trusts and s in Kent are making progress on issues that matter the most to patients.

Hospitals were rated on infection control, waiting times and access to services.

A year ago, Glenn Douglas, chief executive of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, said: "We have made significant progress in the quality of our services in the last 18 months and while we accept the score is still likely to be 'weak', this is definitely an instance where a single word will not do us justice.

"I can reassure our patients that our services are anything but weak and state with confidence that our 4,000 staff are doing a good job."

It is good news elsewhere in the county, however, as the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust was given a "good" rating - up from "fair" in October 2008. West Kent Primary Care Trust has improved its ratings too.

The assessment is based on the trusts' performance between April 2008 to March 2009, with each rated as excellent, good, fair and weak on both overall quality and financial management.

Audio: Flo Panel-Coates, director of nursing at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, explains why her patients don't think the service is weak

Of the nine trusts and PCTs in the county, two have improved their overall score, five have received the same overall quality score and two have been given ;a lower overall score.

In north Kent, Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, received a "good" status this year, down from the “excellent" from October 2008.

The South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust dropped from "good" in 2008 to "fair" this year.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, Eastern and Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust, Medway Primary Care Trust were all branded as "fair".

For overall quality no trusts scored excellent.

Carol Williams is area manager for Kent and Medway at the Care Quality Commission.

Audio: Carol Williams, area manager for Kent and Medway at the Care Quality Commission, tells what needs to be done to improve standards

She said: "In Kent we've seen some improvements this year. Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT have made significant improvements in quality services and financial management and those that have made a small amount of improvement.

"I think these results are going to be a big wake-up call to those trusts that are still fair for quality of services.

“We still have one trust that is weak on quality of service and the board there will have to make a lot of improvements for next year"

Nationally For Quality of Services, 15 per cent of trusts were rated as excellent, 47 per cent as good, a third as fair and five per cent as weak.