Royal Cornwall Hospital ward closed after complaint

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust said the closure of Wheal Agar was temporary

A ward at the Royal Cornwall Hospital has been closed and staff suspended after a complaint about patient care.

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust said the Wheal Agar ward in Truro had been shut temporarily over the weekend.

A trust spokesman said the allegation related to the care given to a specific patient and it was taking the complaint seriously.

The ward specialises in elderly care and new patients will be temporarily admitted to different wards.

The spokesman said "relatively few patients" who were on the ward had been moved to other locations in the hospital.

The Department of Health said it believed the police had been informed.

Campaigners 'concerned'

He said: "We are currently investigating an allegation about a specific patient's care on one of our wards at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust.

"As a matter of routine we take every concern raised seriously and accordingly in this instance we are exploring the matter fully.

"We can confirm staff have been suspended - this is a neutral act. The ward has been temporarily closed and any new patients will continue to be able to receive care and treatment within our hospitals services."

The hospital would not say how many staff had been suspended but insisted the ward closure was temporary and that a further statement would be made when the facts had been established.

Health campaigners in Cornwall said they were "very concerned" to hear a ward had been closed at the hospital.

Graham Webster, from Health Initiative Cornwall, said they were "especially concerned to lose the use of a ward at a time when beds at the hospital are under pressure".