Hospital files to be opened

Ministers have asked the coroner for Staffordshire South, Andrew Haigh, to co-operate with a review of all records held about patients who died at the hospital, in cases where relatives have raised concerns.

A formal procedure to include the coroner 's records in a review of patient case notes will be announced by the Department of Health within weeks.

And the Department of Justice has said the coroner will also be asked to share information with a review of the hospital's procedures for emergency patients.

Stafford MP David Kidney said: "I have seen the coroner's reply to a letter from Jack Straw, the justice minister, which was the result of contact from me to Alan Johnson, the health minister. Mr Haigh has said he is happy to co-operate."

Mr Haigh did not provide vital information to the Healthcare Commission during its investigation into the appalling standards of care which resulted in hundreds of avoidable deaths. The health watchdog said Mr Haigh "failed" to provide it with data on deaths relating to the hospital. The Commission said the coroner, who presides over inquests into sudden or unexplained deaths in the Stafford and Cannock areas, had also said he was "not worried" about the number of hearings involving Stafford Hospital patients.

Mr Haigh said he had been unable to comply with the request as he did not have the manpower to trawl through three years' worth of lengthy inquest records, a total of around 1,000 files.

Mr Kidney added: "If there is an issue with resources, the Department of Health will have to make those available."

Because coroners are independent figures who report to parliament, inspectors could not compel him to help them with the probe.

The inspection report which revealed the scandal, expressed disappointment at his refusal, and published figures showing Mr Haigh was far less likely than the average coroner to request post-mortems into deaths.

Mr Haigh was unavailable for comment this morning.