The figures revealed today that MSE ranked 124 out of 134 hospital trusts in England, with trusts scored on a range of targets including reducing waiting times for treatment and being seen in A&E departments, or improving ambulance response times.

The list is divided into acute, non-acute and ambulance trusts, with MSE was placed in category four for acute hospital trusts, the poorest performing category and received a score of 2.91 - the lowest score of any large hospital trust in the country.

The trusts were scored on averages in relation to the targets, the scores are not an absolute unit of measurement; rather they are intended to reflect how an organisation performs relatively to other trusts in the same category and to help determine their ranking.

Matthew Hopkins, Chief Executive of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are absolutely focussed on improving our position as a Trust.

"Our recovery plans are already in motion and we are working closely with NHS England and our wider health and care partners.

"Our commitment is to patients and staff, who are at the heart of our ten-year plan. Our aim is to make rapid, sustainable improvement - cutting waiting lists, continuing to improve the quality of care we provide, and spending taxpayers' money responsibly."

MSE highlighted that the trust continues to be challenged by ageing infrastructure, stating they are continuing to await the release of capital funding ringfenced for improvements.

The trust also argued that their forward strategy is in line with the Government's own ten-year plan to focus on shifting from hospital to community, from analogue to digital infrastructure and equipment and sickness to prevention.

The trust says it is working through their Integrated Care System - partnerships of NHS, local authority, and voluntary organizations designed to prioritise and streamline care - to help make better use of the resources available to them.