New nursing boss' Stafford Hospital warning

The new head of nursing at Stafford Hospital says it could take several years to transform the culture at the scandal-hit site - and warns he will not tolerate any poor nursing.

Colin Ovington has been appointed as the new director of nursing at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and says that while changes to improve care can happen quickly it will take longer to turn around the culture among staff.

Mr Ovington, aged 50, is in his second week in the new job which will see him head up nursing across Stafford and Cannock hospitals.

He told the Express & Star: "My best guess is that it will take a couple of years to really affect the culture of the organisation. If you look at what the reports said it is clear things were going on for quite a long period of time, which is unusual.

"We can tick the box on lots of different things and we need to do that over a long period of time to get the staff to believe in a new way of working."

He warned he would not tolerate any poor nursing and said he fully accepted the critical reports into the poor care at the hospital saying: "There is some really good patient care going on in this hospital but I know there are still some concerns."

But he stressed the majority of nurses were now eager to move on.

He said: "I have met some really enthusiastic staff who are looking for the right sort of leadership to move to a new place."

Items in his in-tray include developing a nursing and midwifery strategy for the hospital which he said would be created with input from nurses to help them achieve the overall improvements set by the trust."

He also said he plans to investigate the amount of paperwork that nurses face at the hospital in a bid to free up their time.

Mr Ovington, who will earn approximately £100,000 in the role, said he would aim to spend large amounts of his time on the wards instead of an office.

Mr Ovington, who is married with two children, is planning to move to Stafford and said he was committed to the job for the long-term.

He added: "I am going to do everything I can to bring my experience to bear here in Stafford and make sure people get the best possible care when they come through our front door."