TWELVE months after being told it requires improvement, the group which commissions healthcare in north east Essex has been rate ‘good’.

The North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) received its positive rating from NHS England, which assessed the organisation throughout the year.

It was recognised for being well led, maintaining a patient focus, good clinical engagement as well as having a good relationship with Colchester General Hospital.

Sam Hepplewhite, chief officer at the CCG, said: “While we’re delighted to have been given this assurance, and consider it to be a significant improvement on our rating of last year, we aspire to be outstanding in all areas.

“We’re keen to build on the strong relationship we have with our NHS partners to address some key performance issues which impact the care our patients receive.”

“I’d like to thank our patients, communities, partners and our teams of hard working staff for their continued involvement and support.”

The group was also praised for “delivering excellent financial results within the year with a good understanding of financial risks and issues”.

The full report is available on the NHS Improvement website here.