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Stafford Hospital gets clean bill of health

Inspectors called in to check struggling Stafford Hospital found that it was operating safely - but only just, trust bosses have revealed.

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Health regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out a three-day inspection this week after the administrators who now run the site asked them for help.

Yesterday(thurs) a senior management meeting of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust heard that the hospital was 'safe, but only just safe'.

Special Trust Administrator Alan Hudson told the meeting a team of 35 arrived from the CQC led by Chief Inspector of Hospitals Professor Sir Mike Richards.

The commission was called in over concerns over the 'fragility' of the trust and problems with staff recruitment and retention.

It faces a shortage of 85 full-time equivalent nurses and midwives.

Mr Hudson said: "The key message was that in their view the hospital is safe but only just safe. We have been managing on a day to day weekly basis, bearing in mind the pressures that we're under. They pointed out fine work that they saw at the trust, they also recognised the absolute fragility of the service here and how little room there is to take some of the knocks they we experience day to day.

"They are very focussed on the transition to other providers and would not like to see it delayed any further than November 1."

The trust's chief executive Maggie Oldham told the meeting the CQC team also acknowledged the efforts of the staff to keep it functioning.

Mrs Oldham said: "I was pleased to hear that we are operating on a safe basis. We will work with our partners on how we negate the risks as they materialise."

A listening event on Monday was attended by more than 100 people, who spoke with CQC members about their experiences of using the hospital.

It is hoped the CQC will visit the hospital, give assistance and carry out a full inspection to help ease the current pressure.

Members of the public were invited to an event on Monday at The Kingston Centre, in Stafford, to talk to inspectors about their recent encounters of care at the hospital and what improvements they think need to be made.

Plans are in place to downgrade Stafford Hospital's A&E department and remove paediatric services as well as critical and urgent care. Some services will be transferred to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Stoke.

The CQC gave Stafford Hospital a clean bill of health following a previous inspection in February.

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