Stafford hospital crisis: Signs go up as anger grows at children's A&E closure
Pressure is mounting on Jeremy Hunt and the Department of Health to reopen children's A&E at County Hospital as thousands back the fight to get the unit reinstated immediately.
Some 6,200 people have signed the Express & Star petition, which has only been online for two weeks after the services at the hospital were deemed 'clinically unsafe'.
Click here to sign our petition on Change.org now
The outpouring of support comes as disgruntled residents in Stafford, who are forced to travel miles further to have their sick children seen, have started to put up signs around the town saying it is an 'NHS Crisis Area'.
The signs, that also feature the wording 'no local children's A&E services available', are being put up by campaign group Support Stafford Hospital.
Julian Porter, a spokesman for the group, explained that the signs were there to help inform people who were still not aware about the current children's A&E situation.
He said: "There are still some people that aren't aware that we have not got a children's A&E in Stafford at the moment.
"We are still hearing of distressed people turning up at A&E. There are no signs to say it is suspended, they are just given a letter at the door telling them they have to travel to another hospital.
"So members of the SSH group have put posters up in strategic places to let people know that is the case. When the situation is resolved we will remove them."
Dr Ann Marie Morris, the clinical director and emergency medicine consultant of University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, which runs County Hospital, said the extensive coverage of the closure meant that families were aware and it was rare that anyone had to be turned away.
She added: "We are aware of a number of signs that have recently appeared in the Stafford area.
"We have our own official signage already, and any unauthorised signs on our grounds will be removed immediately – this would apply in any circumstances."
The children's emergency centre was suspended indefinitely on August 25. The main issue surrounds a lack of trained staff in anaesthetics and paediatrics.
On Friday, at the trust's annual general meeting, chiefs confirmed a minor injuries service would be reinstated within 'weeks'.
