Calls were made to cut trainee nurses

Watchdogs called for all trainee nurses to be taken out of Stafford Hospital earlier this year over fears about the standard of training, it has been revealed.

The public inquiry into the hospital's failures was told the Nursing and Midwifery Council was so concerned that it called for all student nurses to be removed, with immediate effect by February of this year.

The demand was made after the NMC carried out an investigation of the hospital and Staffordshire University's training at the end of 2010. The NMC found clinical staff were "overwhelmed."

But the Francis Inquiry heard yesterday how the watchdog was persuaded to back down by university and hospital bosses ,who needed student nurses to help care for patients.

The university and hospital instead agreed to an intensive programme of actions to improve the quality of training.