NHS trust criticised over Staffordshire hospital failings

A government-commissioned inquiry into standards at a Stafford hospital has revealed that patients were left “sobbing and humiliated”.

Unprecedented failures in care at the hospital were exposed by the Healthcare Commission last year in a report that condemned a target-driven and cost-cutting culture that led to 400 more deaths than would have been expected between 2005 and 2008.

The inquiry revealed that unqualified receptionists were routinely assessing people at A&E, while patients were left in soiled sheets their families had to wash themselves.

Care Quality Commission interim chair Jo Williams said the experiences described by patients and their loved ones were “deeply distressing and totally unacceptable”.

She added: “We will not hesitate to use our new enforcement powers if essential standards are not in place.”

Health secretary Andy Burnham echoed the criticisms levelled at the Mid Staffordshire NHS foundation trust, stating that the report’s findings about the hospital represent “an appalling failure at every level”.