UNDER-FIRE Darent Valley Hospital has incredibly won an award for the standard of its catering and cleaning.

The private company, Carillion Services Ltd, which provides all the non-clinical services to the hospital picked up the award from the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM).

The award comes only a month after Trust boss Anne-Marie Dean was told to improve services for local people at the hospital, or face the sack.

And just days after the award, the company faced another crisis when the hospital lost all its electrical power for eight minutes last Friday.

BIFM's panel of judges said the company was “head-and-shoulders” above the 60 others competing for the best Private Finance Initiative service provider in Britain.

Carillion won the award despite an avalanche of complaints about the standards of non-clinical care at the hospital.

The company provides maintenance and service provision for nearly all Darent Valley's non-clinical services including electrical, mechanical and building maintenance as well as catering, cleaning, laundry, portering and telecommunications.

Last Friday, vital parts of the hospital were reduced to battery-powered lighting and equipment after a major electricity failure.

The hospital's supplier, 24 Seven, was working on a major problem which cut electricity to Crayford and parts of Dartford.

But the sensor which detects power cuts at the hospital and switches to an alternative supply also failed.

And, in turn, the emergency hospital generators were not triggered either.

That left the hospital with the last resort of battery power.

Carillion says the sensor failure was caused by a substantial earth leakage after the original power cut, which tripped all the circuits including the sensor.

A major investigation is now underway with 24 Seven to find out what caused it.

The emergency generators will be operated by hand until the problem is solved. The hospital said the power cut did not compromise its care to any patients.

Since it first opened last autumn, Darent Valley has been slammed by local people who have been disgusted by levels of hygiene and cleanliness and the poor standard and shortage of food.

Carillion's facilities general manager Henry Stanley said: “We produce 500,000 meals for patients and we have only had around 30 or 40 complaints.

“These are taken very seriously and we have changed the menu five times now to improve our services to customers.

“I think it is that sort of commitment to adapt the service which has won us this award.”

BIFM chairman Mr David Hogg said: “On the day of our arranged visit we saw enough to convince us the facilities were in excellent order.”