A shortage of nurses is holding up the implementation of major improvements in care at beleaguered Stafford Hospital, a public meeting has heard.

Professor George Alberti, who was commissioned by the Government to go into the hospital and report on the current state of the service after the damning Healthcare Commission report was published in March, told around 150 people at the meeting in Stafford that a 20 per cent deficit in nurse numbers made it impossible for improvements to occur immediately.

He said improvements would not be felt for another six months.

“I am being as realistic as I can. You will not turn it around overnight when we still have a 20 per cent deficit of nurses. There is a training issue there and we are not going to get it done tomorrow – it’s not going to work.”

His comments were met by anger. Cure the NHS founder, Julie Bailey said: “It’s been 18 months since our campaign began to try to get change at Stafford Hospital. Eighteen months of grieving relatives standing outside the hospital knocking on people’s doors. No-one tried to listen but we are still here standing.

“The Healthcare Commission report is the worst report in the history of the NHS and we are still here now fighting to get patients treated properly. It is an absolute disgrace that we are still having to fight everyone.”

Stafford MP David Kidney said he would be meeting national director for emergency care Professor Alberti and Dr David Colin-Thome, national clinical director for primary care, to discuss the points raised by the public.

He pledged to return to Health Secretary Andrew Burnham and lobby again for a public inquiry and said that a cross-party meeting of Staffordshire MPs was taking place soon with the chief executive of the hospital and other health bodies to push for improvements.

* Sick visitors have being warned to stay away from Stafford Hospital after another outbreak of the vomiting bug Norovirus – the second in six months.

Members of the public who have recently experienced nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea are being asked not to visit wards at the Weston Road site.

Bosses at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust took the decision to close the clinical decisions unit at Stafford Hospital yesterday after an outbreak of the bug.