24-hour A&E on way back to Stafford Hospital

Stafford Hospital will re-open its accident and emergency department at night from June if it meets targets.

The department closed between 10pm and 8am in December after patient safety could no longer be guaranteed because of staff shortages. Bosses have now agreed to re-open the department at night.

But they say it is dependent on the trust continuing to perform well, including reaching a target of 95 per cent of patients admitted at A&E being treated or discharged within a four hour time period.

Figures show that in weeks two, three and four of March, the trust hit the target with 97 per cent, 95 and 99 respectively of patients in A&E being dealt with within the required time. But the target was breached during January and February and the first week of March.

Hospital managers now intend to re-open A&E between 10pm and 8am from June 11 as long as criteria on A&E is met and the required number of middle grade doctors are recruited.

The trust has set a deadline of April 26 to achieve those targets. The Primary Care Trust and members of the GP Commissioning Group are expected to make a final decision by May 8.

Maggie Oldham, chief operating officer at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, told yesterday's board meeting: "We have made good progress and this is reflected in improved performance against national A&E indicators and staff recruitment.

"However, there are seven areas which require further work before reopening. These include sustaining the numbers of senior emergency medicine doctors and middle grade doctors, recruiting to the remaining vacancies for nurses and consistently achieving the four hour target for at least 95 per cent of patients."