Ratings for every NHS trust in England were to be published on 18 October by the Healthcare Commission.
Results will be eagerly compared with the first 'annual health check', conducted in 2006, to see if services are improving.
The health check will assess the quality of services, measured against the DoH's core standards and national targets. It also measures how well trusts manage their finances.
The results will rank all of the country's 394 NHS trusts as 'excellent', 'good', 'fair' or 'weak' in these two areas.
Healthcare Commission chief executive Anna Walker said: 'The trust boards suggested there has been progress in the past 12 months. This week we will be able to confirm or refute this.'
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