Stafford Hospital nurse sobs over deaths

A nurse sobbed as she told of "regularly" seeing patients dying "without dignity or respect" at Stafford Hospital.

A&E staff nurse Helene Donnelly told how she witnessed patients suffering and nurses falsifying records to meet targets.

During an emotional afternoon at the Francis Inquiry Mrs Donnelly revealed she was bullied and physically threatened by two hospital sisters after she spoke out against the practice of "shaving time" off a patient's stay in A&E by altering the records.

She also criticised a "dumping ground" ward with four beds and no natural light where patients would be left for over 24 hours in order to meet the four-hour waiting time.

She told the inquiry that after raising the alarm she was told to "watch her back" and said she was forced to get family members to meet her after a shift because she was too frightened to walk to her car in the dark.

Mrs Donnelly was the final witness to give evidence to the inquiry yesterday and was applauded by members in the public gallery.

She said: "I'd seen people die, needlessly in some cases, but certainly with a lack of dignity or respect, and that was so distressing to me and it wasn't just once or twice that happened, it was relatively frequently. I was witnessing such poor standards of care I had to speak out."