Hospital advice was 'ignored'

Stafford Hospital bosses "ignored" expert advice during the middle of a superbug outbreak, it has been claimed.

The allegation was made by the Patients' Association after it saw a leaked email sent by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) – and the revelation has drawn renewed calls for a public inquiry from high-profile figures including Sir Richard Branson.

It has already been revealed that the HPA intervened in an outbreak of Clostridium Difficile at Stafford Hospital between January and March, which contributed to 13 deaths.

The news emerged last Friday but Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust issued a statement which said that it followed the advice of the HPA and the agency was "happy" with the way the trust responded.

But an email from the acting director of West Midlands HDU – a regional body of the Health Protection Agency – states otherwise, according to the Patients' Association.

The email says there was a "reluctance at the trust to recognise the situation as an outbreak requiring clear trust-wide high-level leadership and co-ordination" and describes "ongoing shared concerns" over the issue within the HPA.

It also lists a string of problems and delays in tackling the C. Diff outbreak after advice was given. The email also says it was suggested to the trust that it should make the outbreak public but the trust failed to do so, though it does publish infection rates on-line. Director of the Patients Association, Katherine Murphy, said: "This email is the final nail in the coffin for arguments against an inquiry. As recently as March this year the hospital have been ignoring expert advice – it's a scandal."

Helen Moss, director of nursing and governance at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, said the trust had seen the email and would be happy to discuss the issue with the Patients Association.

Association vice-president Sir Richard Branson has backed calls for a public inquiry. "For the sake of the families impacted by the recent deaths from C. Diff, it is critical that an independent inquiry takes place to give factual answers and ensure that any issues are resolved to avoid further suffering," he said.

Cure the NHS founder Julie Bailey added that the hospital should be placed under special measures.