Stafford Hospital 'like prison' say nurses

Two nurses at Stafford Hospital say working there before it was publicly criticised for its poor care was like being "in prison".

Accident & Emergency nurses Heather Gough and Mark Saville said they wanted to speak out about how the scandal had affected them.

Staff were condemned for poor care, but independent inquiries acknowledged that nurses were working under unacceptable pressure at the hospital.

Ms Gough and Mr Saville are still work there and said standards had improved.

In 2009, an investigation by the Healthcare Commission into the Mid Staffordshire Trust found "appalling standards of care" at the hospital.

A £13m public inquiry in February led by Sir Robert Francis QC found serious failings at the hospital 2005-2009 and concluded that patients had been "betrayed" because the NHS had put corporate self-interest ahead of patients.

Police are investigating about 300 deaths at Stafford Hospital, after evidence showed they could have been caused by neglect.