The leadership of the struggling ambulance trust serving Hertfordshire has been heavily criticised for its "lack of grip and focus".

An independent report into the East of England Ambulance Trust said its staff were "highly committed, professional, caring, managers" but had been let down by its board.

The report, by Dr Anthony Marshall, the chief executive of West Midlands Ambulance Service, also made 25 recommendations for how the trust can turn around its performance.

Responding to the report the trust’s new chairman Dr Geoff Harris, said it would look to implement the recommendations "promptly".

The report was commission after a torrid year for the ambulance trust, which has seen it criticised by a health watchdog for its deteriorating service.

In April the Care Quality Commission reported that an unannounced inspection had shown "people could not be assured they would receive care in a timely and effective manner".

Soon after the trust’s then chairman, Maria Ball, resigned.

Earlier this year the Watford Observer also revealed the trust was heading for a £4 million deficit due to overspending.

In the latest report, released this week, Dr Marshall said: "East of England Ambulance Service is fortunate to have highly committed, professional, caring managers and staff who really want to do the best for patients and be part of a successful organisation.

"However the current leadership from the board just isn’t strong enough to take them forward.

"Furthermore there is a lack of focus and grip from the board which has contributed towards the deterioration of performance across the trust."

Among the recommendations he made to the trust were for the board to engage more with staff and to set clear objectives for managers and take action to reduce staff sickness absences.

Following the report, Dr Geoff Harris said: "One of the first tasks will be for me, with the board, to review the findings of this report and submit a formal response to the NHS Trust Development Authority. Any changes needed to our existing turnaround plan, which the Trust published in April, to incorporate the recommendations will be implemented promptly.

"In addition, the findings of the clinical capacity review currently underway will identify what resources the trust needs to meet patient demand and how those resources should be deployed to best effect.

"The trust’s turnaround plan has recognised many of the issues we need to address and we are focussed on implementing this, together with recommendations from the governance review to improve services for our patients."