Children's A&E services at Stafford's County Hospital suspended because they are 'unsafe'

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  • Video report by ITV News Health Editor Rachel Younger

Children's A&E services at County Hospital in Stafford have been suspended because senior clinicians have advised that the service is "not clinically safe".

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) brought the interim measure into place on Thursday morning, owing to a lack of "professionally trained and experienced staff".

It follows an ITV News investigation earlier this week which found that hospitals in England are being forced to suspend acute services because they don't have enough doctors and nurses.

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The changes are temporary - though it is not yet clear when the service will resume - and are not impacting the adult A&E, which remains unaffected and open, the Trust said.

Liz Rix, chief nurse and acting deputy chief executive, said the decision to suspend A&E services for children was "difficult", but added: "we cannot and will not continue to deliver services without the confidence that those services are safe."

The Trust has advised that children with minor illnesses and injuries should use primary care services such as their GP or community pharmacists.

Families who believe their children need emergency attention should dial 999 for an ambulance, which will take them to "the most appropriate hospital".

The closure of Stafford Hospital's A&E overnight led to protests. Credit: PA

The decision to suspend A&E services for under 18s at County Hospital follows concerns raised by the West Midlands Quality Review Service (WMQRS) about the "unique" Children's Emergency Centre service created in May 2015.

It was set up as part of the three-year integration of the Trust, following the dismantling of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust after a public inquiry into patient deaths at Stafford Hospital, which has since been renamed County Hospital.

UHNM said it has "become apparent" that issues highlighted surrounding staff training and competencies "cannot be addressed in the short-term".

Nationally the standards for what is considered safe in A&E paediatric care have risen over the last 12 months and the WMQRS findings reflect this, the Trust said.