Plea for calm over Stafford's County Hospital A&E crisis

The group, which set up last year as a break-away contingent from the Support Stafford Hospital campaign, has urged anyone concerned about the ongoing saga at Weston Road to get in touch with them for information on where to go.

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They have also welcomed parents who have been turned away from County Hospital due to the current lack of trained paediatric staff to complete patient feedback forms which they will forward on to bosses.

Stafford Borough Councillor Christine Baron, who sits on the eight-strong group of volunteers, said: "The message from me to parents is don't panic.

"It is their children and you can understand that people do panic.

"But they need to know there are other ways around it.

"Please just try and keep calm."

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust suspended the Children's Emergency Centre at County Hospital on August 25 after an external investigation deemed it was 'clinically unsafe' due to a lack of staff with the proper training.

On Monday the trust reinstated rapid access clinics for children, which means GPs can refer them to be seen by a child specialist at County Hospital within 24 hours.

Bosses have also vowed to bring back a minor injuries service by the middle of this month.

But a decision on reintroducing treatment for emergency cases will now not be made until the new year because chiefs are awaiting recommendations from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health which are carrying out their own review.

Meanwhile nearly 7,000 people have backed our campaign for full child emergency services to be reinstated immediately.