CREWE'S Leighton Hospital has retained its two-star status after slashing waiting times for operations and speeding up the treatment of cancer patients.
But it failed to impress the Healthcare Commission with its procedures to stamp out the hospital superbug MRSA.
Although improvements had been made on last year, the incidence of infected patients lost the hospital a third star.
Another area where it fell short of the national average was in patient food, despite a £1m re-vamp of catering facilities.
But Mid Cheshire Hospital Trust chiefs, which run Leighton Hospital and the Victoria Infirmary at Northwich, say they is delighted with two stars.
For that the Trust had to score consistently in the NHS performance ratings, hitting 25 targets out of 36.
It places Leighton Hospital on a par with the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Stoke-on-Trent where many South Cheshire patients are treated.
Leighton boss Simon Yates said: 'The award of two stars underscores the continued hard work and dedication of staff in improving services and reducing waiting times for patients.
'This report is a vital aid to improving services across the Trust and I am optimistic that real progress will be made during the forthcoming year.
'Naturally, we are not complacent and acknowledge there are some areas in which we have not performed as well as we would have liked. Improving in these areas will be a priority for us in the coming year.'
Indicators in which the Trust received the highest score included swift treatment of breast cancer patients - one month from diagnosis - and care of heart attack patients receiving lifesaving blood clot-dissolving drugs within 30 minutes.
Additional doctors and nurses in accident and emergency and the introduction of systems for rapid diagnosis helped the Trust achieve that target.
