Medway Maritime staff have been praised for turning the troubled hospital around as it finally leaves special measures after almost four years.

Today, it has been announced that regulator NHS Improvement has removed Medway NHS Foundation Trust from special measures, following a recommendation from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

NHS Improvement medical director Dr Kathy McLean congratulated staff – saying they have worked hard to improve the quality of the services they provide, and should be proud of their achievement.

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CQC inspectors visited the hospital in November and December and found significant improvements, although there are still some problem areas.

They found all of the core services had made improvement and the maternity and gynaecology department was rated outstanding.

The executive team, although fairly new, was performing as an effective unit with a shared vision and clarity of purpose. Staff spoke of a significantly better organisational culture.

And improvements have been made to how patients are managed in the emergency department, with people no longer being treated in a corridor.

The trust had significantly improved its mortality rate, and safety has improved although there are still concerns over staffing levels in the emergency care and maternity departments.

Dr McLean said: “Staff should be immensely proud of this news. Exiting special measures is a significant achievement and reflects a better experience for patients.

"It is the result of extremely hard work by everyone right across the trust from ward staff, clinicians, admin and support teams, and the trust’s leadership team.

“We’ve been clear there is much work still to do to improve performance and restore financial balance, but patients should be confident that the trust has a robust base on which to build, as it moves towards realising its ambition of improving its overall rating from inadequate to good.”

The trust was placed in special measures in July 2013 following a review into high death rates, which were among the worst in the country.

Subsequent inspections rated it inadequate but today, the CQC said the trust and the hospital were now rated as requiring improvement.

Interim trust chair, Dr Peter Carter, said: “Today is a really good day for Medway, not just for the trust and its staff, but more importantly for the public that we serve.

“There have been huge improvements over the past few years, and while we know there is much still to do, I want to pay tribute to the dedication of our staff: clinical and non-clinical, from our support staff, porters, receptionists, domestics and volunteers through to our doctors, nurses and midwives.

“I would also like to pay tribute to the fantastic leadership of our chief executive, Lesley Dwyer.

“She joined at an incredibly difficult time and through her passion, dedication and vision, has inspired staff to deliver the improvements.

“I’m feeling really optimistic about what lies ahead for Medway. This is a significant milestone and signals a brighter future for the trust.”

Professor Sir Mike Richards, chief inspector of hospitals, said: “I am very pleased to report since our last inspection we have found good evidence the trust is making steady progress.

“Two years ago, we rated it as inadequate overall because of concerns relating to patient safety, the organisational culture and governance throughout.

"We have been keeping a close watch, with support from the local clinical commissioning groups and NHS Improvement.”

Watch: Jeremy Hunt congratulates staff

“I have no doubt the additional support from Guys’ and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust has helped the trust to address the shortcomings identified, but much of the credit must go to the new leadership team at the Medway and to the commitment of the staff.

“There is no doubt that substantial improvements have been made. The leadership team is now fully established and there is a strong sense of forward momentum.

"That strong leadership and clear communication are leading to a workforce who are now much better engaged and whose morale is now much higher.”

He added: “There are a number of areas where we have identified poor practice and that require attention.

"We will return later this year to check: I will be disappointed if we find the trust has not continued to make further progress.”

Chatham MP Tracey Crouch said: “I am genuinely chuffed for everyone involved at the hospital. It has been a long journey during which morale of the medical staff has often taken a battering.

“While there may still be challenges ahead for the hospital this is good news and will restore confidence within everyone who works or uses the Maritime.”

Lesley Dwyer, chief executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: "It's a great report and our staff are going to be so pleased.

"We had been in special measures for 41 months, we were one of the first to go into them. This is a great moment for Medway.

"This is a great tribute to our dedicated staff and the fantastic job they do day in, day out. They really are the best of people, working hard to deliver the best of care."

She said they were already aware of the areas where they need to improve which were highlighted in the report and are already making progress.

Ms Dwyer said the five key things that led them to leave special measures were putting a stable leadership in place, ensuring the hospital was clinically led by people who have contact with patients, focusing on safety and quality of care, engaging the staff and keeping it real for the staff.

Ms Dwyer added: "We need to make sure that this organisation now becomes one that delivers all that we need to be able to deliver.

“This trust has come a long way in the past year, and we have always said that we wouldn’t get to where we want to be overnight.

"However, this report is a clear indication that we are moving in the right direction.

"We have every reason to believe that we can build on this momentum and continue to improve. There is a very exciting future ahead for Medway NHS Foundation Trust and as staff, we are all honoured to be a part of it.”