TWO local NHS trusts have received no stars in this year's star ratings.

The Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford and the Guildford and Waverley Primary Care Trust received the lowest rank in the yearly awards given by an independent NHS inspection body.

Frimley Park Hospital has received two stars after recording the maximum three-star rating for two years running. The hospital therefore loses out on the chance to apply for foundation hospital status because of a £3 million deficit, which is the result of a funding shortfall.

There were contrasting fortunes for The Herald area's two ambulance services. Surrey got the top three-star rating while Hampshire got no stars.

The Commission for Health Improvement, which took over the star rating inspections from the Department of Health this year, gave the Royal Surrey no stars, an unwelcome distinction shared by 13 other acute hospitals out of a total of 156. The Guildford hospital received two stars last year and in 2001 when the star ratings system started.

The Guildford and Waverley Primary Care Trust (PCT) was one of 304 PCTs assessed for the first time and it was one of 22 that received no stars.

The PCT, a body of managers and doctors which organises local NHS care for patients, and the Royal Surrey have both received poor marks partly because of long waits at the Royal Surrey's accident and emergency department.

The PCT admits to problems arranging post-hospital care for elderly patients or "bed blockers" which have the knock-on effect of A&E patients enduring long waits for beds.

The hospital failed to reduce all waits for minor cases to four hours and had too many patients waiting more than 12 hours, but says there has been a "major improvement" in the figures since March, when the hospital was assessed.

The PCT, in partnership with the Royal Surrey and social services, has drawn up a plan to address the problem and is expecting to receive a report from the NHS Modernisation Agency, which is also addressing the matter, next week. A key improvement will be 30 more beds due in the autumn. A walk-in centre for patients with minor injuries and other improvements are also planned.

The hospital was also penalised this year for overspending by £3.5 million, but has blamed this on a debt inherited from the former West Surrey Health Authority.

Defending her organisation, the chief executive of the Guildford and Waverley PCT, Liz Slinn said: "It's about targets for access to care rather than the quality of care. We provide a very high standard of patient care to our population, and we have very dedicated and highly-qualified professional staff working for us."

The PCT failed to meet two of its A&E waiting time targets. It also fell short of the target of 90 per cent of patients being seen by a GP within two working days at the time of assessment, but now exceeds that target with a 96 per cent figure. It also recorded a financial deficit of £750,000, largely the legacy of deficits accrued by the former West Surrey Health Authority.

Frimley Park Hospital inherited an "unplanned share" of that debt and has managed to reduce it from a £3 million to a £2 million shortfall.

In a statement, the hospital said: "Conscious of its obligation to patients, and the trust's record of quality patient care, Frimley Park's board decided to focus on all patient-related targets within the star-rating performance framework, knowing that financial balance was not attainable."