Stafford Hospital: Public inquiry resumes after recess

A public inquiry looking at failings at Stafford Hospital resumes later after a summer break.

The inquiry is investigating the role of regulators and follows a Healthcare Commission report in 2009 which found "appalling standards" of care.

A higher-than-expected number of deaths occurred at the hospital between 2005 and 2008.

Representatives from the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority are scheduled to give evidence on Monday.

The inquiry started last November.

The Healthcare Commission cited a catalogue of poor standards, including cases where receptionists had been used to assess emergency patients.

The inquiry is chaired by Robert Francis QC who led an earlier independent inquiry held in private.