Stafford County Hospital A&E to stay closed to children for rest of year

The Children's Emergency Centre for patients aged under 18 has been suspended since August 25 because a lack of trained staff is said to make it 'clinically unsafe'.

More than 6,500 people have backed the Express & Star's campaign for the department to be reopened immediately.

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University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust, which runs County Hospital, confirmed minor injuries treatment for children would be reinstated by mid-October but a decision on bringing back services for more serious child cases was subject to a review being carried out by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Today it was announced that review will not be finished until early 2017, when it was originally expected to be completed by the end of November.

A trust statement said: "The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have visited the Trust this week in preparation for their full review of Children's Emergency Services at County Hospital.

"The review, which is scheduled to conclude in early 2017, will include analysis of data, a main visit and the publication of a full report."

In a boost to patients, rapid access clinics, which allow an appointment with a specialist child doctor within 24 hours following referral from a GP, returned on Monday.

Trust chief executive Robert Courteney-Harris added: "There has been significant progress achieved over the past week to bring back safe children's services to County Hospital. The re-instatement of rapid access clinics is a positive step and over the coming weeks we expect to see more services return, including the Minor Injuries Unit.

"This week, we have welcomed The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to the Trust as they start their preparations to undertake a full review of the Children's Emergency Service and we will be keen to hear their expert feedback and guidance on the safest way forward. The Care Quality Commission and NHSI also continue to be involved, so we can receive their support and oversight.

"Even though there has been good progress made over the past few weeks, we must still wait for the outcome of the review by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health before making any recommendations around the emergency element of children's services, because of the safety concerns identified by both our staff and the West Midlands Quality Review Service.

"We continue to be grateful to our partners in the West Midlands Ambulance Service, to local GPs and to surrounding Trusts at Burton, Wolverhampton and Walsall for their assistance in ensuring that local children and young people are managed safely whilst the temporary suspension is in place. Local Clinical Commissioning Groups, our local Borough and County Councils and NHS England and NHS Improvement have also provided both constructive challenge and support."