Shock at hospital trolley queues
Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy today led the calls for the return of County Hospital's 24-hour A&E after a photo of showing a queue of patients on trolleys emerged.
The photograph was taken at Royal Stoke University Hospital. Mr Lefroy says he will raise the matter in the House of Commons tomorrow.
He described the picture, which was also sent to him by a constituent, as 'another reason' a round-the-clock emergency service was needed at Stafford.
Services have been moved from Stafford to Stoke this year as part of an overhaul of health provision in the area.
Mr Lefroy said he 'immediately' emailed the picture to the Department of Health.
The shocking image was taken by Paul Fox, from Stafford, on Friday when he went to visit his mother, who has dementia.
He said it showed only the start of the queue, which stretched into two more corridors.
He said: "Although the picture gives an idea of the squalor, you cannot see just how many trolleys there were, this was merely the front of the queue."
Mr Lefroy added: "Although the numbers of people who attended A&E overnight at Stafford were not huge, opening it 24/7 would still relieve the pressure at Stoke and elsewhere.
"I've been working towards a 24/7 service since it was removed in December 2011. I think this picture is another reason why it should happen, not only for my constituents in Stafford but also for the constituents of Stoke. It's clearly a picture that tells a story."
