Stafford Hospital: NHS staff to have their say on new name

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, responsible for Stafford Hospital, is being dissolved after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt gave the go-ahead in February.

University Hospital of North Staffordshire will run the site – and bosses have revealed they will consider changing both the trust and hospital's names.

Meetings are being held with staff at Stafford Hospital this week as the overhaul moves forward. They will be asked for suggestions for the name in the coming weeks.

Bosses say the recent moving of services from three sites across Stoke-on-Trent to one at the City General hospital has inspired plans for the name change.

UHNS chairman John MacDonald said: "University Hospital has been considering a change of name for the trust for some time to reflect the move from three sites to a single site at City General in Stoke-on-Trent."

UHNS chief executive Mark Hackett will lead the meetings, joined by University Hospital's chairman John MacDonald, chief nurse Liz Rix and medical director Robert Courteney-Harris on their first formal tour of wards and departments in Stafford.

This will be hosted by the Trust Special Administrators that came up with plans for the sites, Maggie Oldham, chief executive of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, and other Mid Staffs representatives.

They will also join the UHNS team in meetings with consultants and nursing staff as well as question and answer sessions with wider groups of staff.

Mr Hackett said: "Now is the time to build for the future. The Health Secretary's decision paves the way for a once in a lifetime opportunity to develop world class healthcare and services for the patients and populations of Staffordshire.

"Together with our colleagues at Stafford Hospital we will create a regional centre of excellence where people come to work, research and learn – to the benefit of our patients throughout Staffordshire."