Hospital inquiry starts on Monday

The independent inquiry into poor standards of care at scandal-hit Stafford Hospital will begin hearing evidence on Monday under a cloak of secrecy.

Solicitors appearing on behalf of health campaign group Cure the NHS will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement.

The hearings, chaired by Robert Francis QC, will take place at a unit on the Staffordshire Technology Park, on Beaconside, from 9am on Monday. It is thought the first day will hear opening statements from lawyers for Cure the NHS and Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

On Tuesday, Cure the NHS founder Julie Bailey is expected to give evidence all day to the inquiry. She will talk about the death of her mother Bella Bailey at the hospital in 2007 which sparked her campaign.

Julie said: "The public are being denied the chance to hear what has gone on. This is why we are still pushing for a full public inquiry."

The inquiry follows a scathing Healthcare Commission report earlier this year which found appalling standards of care at the hospital. Rachel Carr, spokesman for the inquiry, said the opening statements for Monday's hearing would be published on-line.