Give Stafford Hospital patients 24-hour service they deserve - E&S Comment

A difficult task is facing bosses at Stafford Hospital – learning the lessons of its troubled past while confronting the challenges of the future.

The public inquiry launched after the Healthcare Commission criticised poor standards of care will reach its nadir in October.

That coincides with the date the hospital has given for its Accident and Emergency department is due to reopen overnight.

Today, the Express & Star calls for the hospital to embrace this unique opportunity to usher in an age of improvement with a restored, round-the-clock emergency department at its heart – as we launch a fight to Save Stafford A&E.

The handling of the unit's closure between 10pm and 8am has marked a sea-change in the approach of the hospital hierarchy to mounting crises.

New chief executive Lynn Hill-Tout has an unashamed commitment to patient safety.

In the face of enormous pressure to restore round-the-clock services as soon as possible, Mrs Hill-Tout has calmly relaid the message that a 24-hour A&E will be restored – but not yet. She has arranged public meetings to tackle residents' concerns head-on and has been rewarded with a groundswell of goodwill.

But as she well knows, this mutual understanding cannot and will not last for ever.

Today leaders in the town demand guarantees about the future of Stafford's A&E department.

Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy and borough council leader Mike Heenan make it their job to know their public. Their stern warnings that further delay will not be tolerated echoes the concerns of their constituents.

For almost eight months people have been facing the prospect of travelling to Stoke or Wolverhampton or Walsall if their health fails during the night. By the time October comes, that figure will have reached double figures.

As Councillor Heenan rightly points out today, Stafford serves a population of around 300,000 people. It is also the closest hospital to parts of the M6 motorway, where, in the event of an accident, urgent life-saving intervention is often demanded.

Stafford needs a fully functioning A&E for its people. It is the first port of call when, as is inevitable, something goes wrong.

The hospital appears to have turned a corner under Mrs Hill-Tout's very welcome steady stewardship.

Death rates have fallen well below expected levels, loans have been secured to secure its financial future and patients are speaking out about favourable, rather than terrible, experiences.

Reopening A&E round-the-clock, on time in October, would be another significant step in the right direction.

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