Fresh row at crisis hospital
Stafford Hospital bosses spent £350,000 of taxpayers' money on a consultants' report that reached the same conclusion as the damning Healthcare Commission investigation.
The report by PricewaterhouseCoopers was today branded "a complete waste of money" by campaigners.
It was commissioned by the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust before the publication of the Healthcare Commission report on the hospital in March but has only just been presented to the trust board.
But Cure the NHS founder Julie Bailey said the money would have been better spent on recruiting more experienced nurses.
She described it as "a PR exercise" and "a complete and utter waste of NHS resources".
"The Healthcare Commission report was independent, but the trust paid for the PwC investigation. It was just done as spin," she said.
"The findings of the report were already known by the time it came out.
"It is a problem with foundation trusts that they can spend money where they like."
The PwC report was extended when new managers took over the trust earlier this year.
It warns the hospital it faces significant challenges in changing the culture of the hospital.
Chief executive of Stafford Hospital Antony Sumara said the report was a "fair reflection" on where the hospital had been.
He said: "PricewaterhouseCoopers were engaged by the trust in 2008. The terms of reference for the review were to undertake independent due diligence reviews into those areas which gave cause for concern to the Healthcare Commission in order to supplement and reinforce any interim findings reported by the HCC.
"They were also to review and provide independent assurance over the adequacy of the trust's action plans to deal with the issues revealed by the review, the HCC investigation and any issues of which management are already aware.
"The Trust paid PwC £350,000."
