MANAGERS from top performing hospitals look set to be twinned failing ones, including Basildon, in a bid to bring about changes.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce how 11 hospital trusts placed in special measures earlier this year will be partnered with more successful hospitals later on today.

Top managers from those hospitals will then be drafted in to make changes on the ground and bonus payments could be available to trusts if standards are improved at failing sites.

The idea echoes the "super heads" scheme introduced for schools.

Basildon Hospital was one of 14 trusts investigated by NHS medical director Prof Sir Bruce Keogh over high death rates and it was put into special measures as a result of his team's findings.