THE quality of service at the hospitals at the centre of the C-diff crisis have been branded weak in a national NHS review.

The Healthcare Commission published its ratings for every health trust in the country on Thursday.

The Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, which runs Maidstone Hospital, Pembury Hospital and the Kent and Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells, is rated weak - the lowest possible score - for both quality of services and financial management.

Seven trusts in Kent were rated as fair or weak. Just one, Dartford and Gravesham, was assessed as being good. None received the accolade of excellent.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells was the only trust in the county rated weak in both categories.

The assessment period included the outbreaks of killer superbug C-diff at the hospitals, which were the subject of a separate Healthcare Commission report published on October 11.

The report highlighted failures in infection control and the cleanliness of the hospitals, which are echoed in the ratings.

Interim chief executive Glenn Douglas said: "This measure of service quality at the trust's hospitals last year rightly reflects the findings of the national report but there have been many improvements since then which have raised standards and improved hospital services for patients."

He said the weak score for finances was automatic because the Trust ended the last financial year with a deficit of £4.7million.

Mr Douglas added: "My intention is to continue to take Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust forward as of now. The Trust has learned from its past and is committed to improving in the future."

Every trust in England achieved the target for cancer patients waiting no more than a month from diagnosis to treatment and despite increases in attendance, A&E waiting time targets were met, with 98 per cent receiving care within four hours.

A spokesman for the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust, which received a fair rating, said it was pleased that it had been successful in achieving improvements in all areas which directly affected patients, such as in reducing rates of MRSA and C-diff.

Meanwhile, Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust was rated weak for its use of resources and fair for its quality of service.

Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust received a weak rating. The annual health check found the trust had missed its financial targets for 2006/07 and so was automatically given the lowest score for its use of resources.

The trust, which runs the Princess Royal University Hospital at Orpington, was given a good score for its quality of services.

It was the second year that the trusts has received the lowest rating for their use of resources.

South East Coast Strategic Health Authority had the lowest proportion of excellent trusts and the highest combination of fair and weak in England.

The Commission said that it will work closely with the Department of Health and the strategic health authorities to ensure that action plans are in place for trusts rated fair and weak.