'Secret doctor' at Stafford's County Hospital revealed

An email exchange seen by the Express & Star between a hospital boss and the Clinical Commissioning Group reveals that an emergency out-of-hours service was set up two months ago but not advertised because it is 'very expensive'.

In the email, Stafford and Cannock CCG chief Andy Donald said he did not want to 'stoke up demand' for the service.

Hospital campaigners claim that by concealing the service, health bosses could justify dropping it through lack of take-up. They have called the move 'conniving and dangerous.' The CCG denies the allegation.

The email was sent on March 26 to Karen Bourne, divisional general manager for women and children's services at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, after she asked for details about the service 'which we have little knowledge of'.

The service was set up following requests because of the closure of the children's ward and the lack of an overnight A&E. Mr Donald replied: "The Out of Hours service has been in place since February 1. We just haven't advertised it because it's very expensive and we do not want to stoke up demand."

He denies the CCG has deliberately kept quiet about the service and has promised to re-advertise it. He said the service had been advertised when first opened, but the CCG did not want people using it as a walk-in service and it was not meant to replace A&E.

The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which ran Stafford Hospital, now County Hospital, was dissolved in November after a £6million inquiry into care failings. The University Hospitals trust now runs the hospital and the Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent.

Julian Porter, from Support Stafford Hospital, said: "They don't have any intention of keeping a doctor there that is why they haven't advertised it. They want to scrap it before it's started."