Worcestershire hospitals in U-turn on banned paramedic

Paramedic Stuart Gardner said he had been told he was "not welcome" at hospitals in Worcester and Redditch

A whistleblower paramedic, banned from two hospitals in Worcestershire, has been given an apology and seen the restrictions lifted.

Stuart Gardner, who works for West Midlands Ambulance Service, had criticised care at Worcester Royal Hospital A&E unit.

He was banned by the hospital trust, which said his comments had upset staff.

It has since backed down and offered Mr Gardner an apology.

"Unison and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have agreed that the Trust does not have the authority to exclude an individual paramedic from its premises and the paramedic has received an apology for the suggestion that he should be excluded," the union and hospital trust said in a joint statement.

'Raise concerns'

Two weeks ago Mr Gardner told the BBC he had seen patients being treated in corridors at the Worcester Royal Hospital and said conditions were the worst he had seen in his 26-year experience.

He said he had not criticised doctors or nurses but wanted to "raise concerns" about the location of treatment.

"I was highlighting that issue and saying [patients] should have been on the wards," he said.

Mr Gardner said he had been informed by the chief operating officer of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust that he was "not welcome" on either of its two sites.

At the time, Unison had said it was considering legal action. It said it welcomed the latest decision by the hospital trust.

The two organisations said, like other parts of the country, hospitals in Worcestershire had seen high levels of demand in A&E in recent weeks.