Crisis-hit Stafford hospital's A&E boss quits post

A senior consultant and clinical leader at the troubled Stafford Hospital has left his position after his department took a large share of the criticism.

A Health Care Commission report showed that A&E was understaffed and under-equipped with receptionists assessing patients' injuries because of a shortage of triage nurses.

In March last year, Dr Chris Turner spoke to the Express & Star about the effects of the national glare on staff and how they were all determined to continue improving the standard of care in the hospital.

Speaking then, he said: "It's a damning report no doubt about it. Clearly, staff have taken a battering and these are good people. The people who work here give 100 per cent, if they could give more than 100 per cent then they would give it. The staff feel dismayed and it is completely understandable, they are doing the best job they have had facilities to do."

He stressed the A&E department had come a long way since the Healthcare Commission first started to investigate the hospital, with £750,000 spent on it raising the number of staff.

Colin Ovington, the director of nursing at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, confirmed yesterday that Dr Turner had in fact left the trust on October 31.