Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has demanded action is taken over concerns about high death rates and poor care at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital.

The minister visited the city hospital yesterday and ordered bosses to take action.

Mr Lansley held a meeting with hospital chief executive David Loughton and Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust chairman Barry Picken to discuss the findings of an investigation by the Care Quality Commission. The CQC found New Cross was not meeting essential standards and care “was not always safe.”

It highlighted incidents of nursing shortages, poor care on some wards and inadequate responses to complaints. The CQC has now given the hospital 28 days to come up with an action plan.

The hospital has also seen more patients dying than were expected. Mr Lansley’s visit was meant to mark the trust’s two-year run free of MRSA, one of the best results in the country.