Stafford hospital crisis: MP Jeremy Lefroy tells PM to reopen children's A&E now

The Stafford MP has urged Theresa May to intervene in the latest crisis to engulf the hospital, which saw the Children's Emergency Centre close last week as bosses revealed an investigation found inadequate levels of training for specialist staff.

The closure has led to parents facing long journeys to other hospitals to find emergency care for their children, some of whom suffered broken limbs and other serious injuries.

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Today Tory MP Mr Lefroy has vowed to do everything he can to restore the service. He has demanded 'precise' answers as to why the department has been suspended and called for the Government to step in and end the crisis as a matter of urgency.

Describing the service as 'absolutely necessary', Mr Lefroy said that the Government, the NHS, Clinical Commissioning Groups and the University Hospitals of North Midlands Trust (UHNMT) had been 'quite clear' in their commitment to it. He said: "Given the clear commitment to the service, and the changes made so that it could be introduced, we need to know precisely why it has been suspended and what is being done to reinstate it – and keep that commitment."

"I met the medical director of the trust and the head of the emergency department last Thursday.

"I said that I and our community expected the necessary training to be carried out and the CEC to be back in service without delay. I have since written to the trust with a list of detailed questions regarding both the decision to suspend the service and the plans to reinstate it.

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"I have also written to the Prime Minister and Health Secretary, pointing out how important it is to have children and young people's services which are accessible to all, not just those in major centres of population. What benefit is there in having services which become increasingly inaccessible to large parts of the population, especially those in our towns and rural areas?"

Mr Lefroy says he plans to meet with the trust's acting chief executive this week. The closure followed concerns that not enough staff were available with the required levels of paediatric and anaesthetic training.

A number of safety concerns had been highlighted in a draft report by the West Midlands Quality Review Service (WMQRS). Bosses at UHNMT said last week the concerns 'cannot be addressed in the short term' and have not said when the service will reopen. The trust declined to comment.