Trust bosses feeling pressure over future of Stafford and Cannock Chase hospitals

The board of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust turned out in force to face the public at the Kingston Centre in Stafford, fronted by chief executive Lyn Hill-Tout and chairman John Caldwell.

The agenda and tone of the meeting was shaped by the announcement yesterday afternoon that a team of independent experts had ruled the trust was not viable in the long-term.

The team believes only "significant financial support" will enable the trust to operate for the next five years. It means services are likely to be stripped from Stafford and Cannock and provided at other hospitals in the Midlands.

Improvements in care standards were singled out for praise but health watchdog Monitor, which commissioned the experts' investigation, yesterday acknowledged it was a "difficult time" for patients and staff.

In a letter to trust chairman John Caldwell, Monitor chief executive David Bennett warned Mid Staffs could be placed in special administration, taking its running out of board control. Mrs Hill-Tout told last night's meeting the experts' findings were disappointing but not surprising.

Steve Kirby, who is leading the team of experts who released interim findings through Monitor yesterday, told the audience the level of cuts needed to balance the books would endanger patient safety. The Department of Health has committed millions of pounds in each of the last two years to keep services running.

Mr Kirby said: "We are talking about nine or 10 per cent savings which would need to be made every year for the next four or five years. No trust has ever attempted to cut so much over that sort of period.

"Where trusts have tried to cut big sums the quality of service and patient safety has suffered. I'm sure that's not what anyone in this room would countenance."

The second half of the two-hour meeting was devoted to a question and answer session, during which Mrs Hill-Tout admitted the reopening of A&E round-the-clock was subject to the ongoing review.

Dave Ball, who has lived in Stafford since 1998, said the town's need for a fully operational hospital would only get greater if the expansion of MOD Stafford went ahead as planned in 2015. Hundreds of families are due to move to the Beaconside barracks. "I have been in the hospital 28 times since 2000 and my care has always been excellent," he said. "We need a hospital here."

Mother of four Cheryl Porter, from the Support Stafford Hospital pressure group, blamed the trust's problems on a lack of support from GPs.

"The hospital said they were ready to reopen A&E overnight and the Clinical Commissioning Groups did not think that was sustainable," she said.

"It is down to the GPs to sell Stafford Hospital and they are not doing that in their surgeries."

Yesterday afternoon Monitor had leaked a letter sent by Mr Bennett to Mr Caldwell warning the trust about the independent experts' ruling.