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'Unsafe' Stafford hospital A&E closed to children 'Unsafe' Stafford hospital A&E closed to children
(about 1 hour later)
Children's accident and emergency services at a scandal-hit hospital have been suspended after senior staff said it was "not clinically safe".Children's accident and emergency services at a scandal-hit hospital have been suspended after senior staff said it was "not clinically safe".
A shortage of staff with the right specialist training at Stafford County Hospital had forced the closure to patients under 18, the trust said. A shortage of staff with the right specialist training at Stafford's County Hospital had forced the closure to patients under 18, the trust said.
The hospital was the subject of a public inquiry after there were between 400 and 1,200 more deaths than would be expected from 2005 to 2008. The hospital was the subject of a public inquiry after hundreds of patients died amid "appalling" levels of care between 2005 to 2008.
The A&E department is open to adults.The A&E department is open to adults.
More on this and other stories from Stoke and StaffordshireMore on this and other stories from Stoke and Staffordshire
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust took over the County Hospital in October last year, after the previous hospital trust was declared clinically and financially unviable. Stafford Hospital timeline
Robert Francis QC, who led the public inquiry, made 290 recommendations calling for "fundamental change".
Some patients drank water from vases and others were left "sobbing and humiliated" due to mistreatment by staff, the inquiry heard.
Liz Rix, chief nurse and acting deputy chief executive, said closing the unit was "a difficult short-term decision".
She said: "I fully appreciate the impact these temporary changes will have on families in Stafford and the surrounding area, and understand that people will be very concerned about this news.
"However, we cannot and will not continue to deliver services without the confidence that those services are safe."
Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy said he was "deeply disappointed" by the closure.Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy said he was "deeply disappointed" by the closure.
"I am pushing for this matter to be resolved urgently in order that services can be restored," he said. Stafford Borough Council leader Patrick Farrington said the situation was "unacceptable" and "devastating" for parents.
"This service must be reinstated as soon as it is safe to do so," he said.
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust took over the County Hospital - formerly called Stafford Hospital - in October last year, after the previous trust was declared clinically and financially unviable.
The now-defunct Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was fined £500,000 last year after admitting four charges over the deaths of elderly people between 2005 and 2014. The most senior nurse disciplined after the inquiry was also struck off.