COLCHESTER’S two NHS hospitals are improving, according to a national survey of patients.

The survey of adult inpatients 2013, published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), shows that Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust scored significantly higher in nine areas than in the 2012 survey.

The Trust runs Colchester General Hospital and Essex County Hospital.

Patients who spent at least one night in hospital in Colchester in August last year were asked about various aspects of their experiences, including their admission, the quality of care, pain control and communication with doctors and nurses.

Other subjects patients were questioned on included information, medicines, their involvement in their care, hospital food, cleanliness and discharge arrangements.

Dee Hackett, director of nursing and patient experience, said: "We will now scrutinise this data closely to help us identify areas where we need to step up to achieve further improvements so that we perform better still in the next survey."

The Trust did not score significantly lower than the 2012 survey in any areas.