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Furious families of Stafford Hospital victims hit out at Channel 4 documentary

Furious families of people who died in appalling conditions at Stafford Hospital have urged Channel 4 to pull a documentary on the scandal after saying they were not consulted about the making of the programme.

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The broadcaster has been accused of showing disrespect to grieving families, who say they feel "uncomfortable" about the deaths of their loved ones being "turned into some form of entertainment".

It was revealed last week that the scandal, which led to the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust being dissolved, was being turned into a documentary called The Cure.

Hundreds died between 2005 and 2009 as a result of neglect and the revelations about the shocking treatment of victims attracted national attention.

The documentary will follow campaigner Julie Bailey, who blew the whistle on the failings and fought a battle for justice.

No date for its airing has yet been announced but families say they were not told about plans for the programme. Channel 4 said producers of the show had begun to make contact with families.

Statement

A joint statement from the families of eight victims said: "We are staggered and very upset that the emotional and traumatic impact on the bereaved families and survivors has not even been considered.

"Our consent for this programme to be created has neither been sought nor given, which is disrespectful in the extreme.

"We, the undersigned founder members of the Mid-Staffs Cure the NHS, request that Channel 4 prevent this programme from going into production, out of respect for the families involved in the Mid-Staffs scandal and our loved ones who died in traumatic circumstances.

"We are all very uncomfortable with the idea of their deaths being turned into some form of entertainment."

The statement in full

Ms Bailey, whose mother died at the hospital and went on to be awarded a CBE, defended the programme and said: "It's a drama about me, it's my story. Nobody knows what is going to be in the drama at the moment."

However, Stafford councillor Jonathan Price believes the families should have been informed.

He said: "The issues at Stafford Hospital had a massive impact on all the families involved and Channel 4 has a duty to these families. Some communication was essential and I'm a bit disgusted the families haven't been told."

Councillor Price added added: "Although it is right issues are highlighted the hospital has been dragged through enough. It is a completely different animal to what it was back then.

"The last thing we need is for it all to be re-told and putting the families through this by seeing it on TV."

A Channel 4 spokesman said: "The producers of The Cure have already been in touch with members of Mid-Staffs Cure the NHS and will continue to reach out to others involved. The factual drama is at the very early stages and the research process is ongoing. We are acutely aware of the extremely sensitive nature of the story and it will be handled with the utmost care and respect."

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