MP: I was misled over hospital
Stafford's MP has claimed he was "completely misled" by Stafford Hospital bosses over problems at the facility.
David Kidney said he was "livid" over the scandal in a letter sent out to more than 30,000 households in response to the Healthcare Commission's damning report into the hospital.
And he demands that "those responsible" for the situation are sacked.
The letter sets out Mr Kidney's "plan of action" on the issue and also includes a letter he sent to Health Secretary Alan Johnson, reiterating calls for a public inquiry into what he calls a "human tragedy" and "truly heartbreaking" failings.
The Healthcare Commission report on the hospital found there might have been up to 1,200 unnecessary deaths between 2005 to 2008.
Addressed to individual householders, Mr Kidney's letter reads: "Like me, you will have read about the damning report into Stafford Hospital. And like me, I am sure you will feel hurt at the lives that may have been lost, angry at the mistakes made and desperate for things to be put right.
"Everyone knows now what we need is decisive action to ensure that this never happens again. So let me tell you what I have been doing and what I plan to do in the future."
The letter then includes the statement: "I have been seeking assurances from Stafford Hospital for years and I am livid that I was completely misled by senior managers there." Last week, the Express & Star revealed Mr Kidney had started writing to more than 30,000 households in his constituency over the Stafford Hospital crisis and said he had already received a number of replies.
Mr Kidney has previously been accused of "fence-sitting" over problems at Stafford Hospital by critics including Cure the NHS founder Julie Bailey and Express & Star columnist Peter Atkins.
Mrs Bailey hit out at the MP for failing to publicly criticise hospital bosses and for praising the facility after completing a "work experience" placement on its wards last summer during his break from Parliament.
Meanwhile, meetings of the board of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust will all be held in public in future.
