Stafford Hospital's fate 'puts lives at risk'

Members of the audience asked questions throughout the meeting

As 200 people from Stafford voiced their views on proposals for their hospital, Eda Jacobs summed up the mood by saying: "This report is diabolical. Stop using Stafford as a pawn."

The Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust went into administration on 16 April after a report concluded it was not "clinically or financially sustainable".

Administrators have recommended the trust is dissolved and said critical care, maternity and paediatric services should be cut from the Stafford hospital.

This was not the view from a rowdy floor at the Gatehouse Theatre where, among the more traditionally aired views were plenty of shouts and heckles.

Karen Howell, from the Support Stafford Hospital campaign, said: "We have got a very good quality and safe service in Stafford.

"We do not want it going elsewhere, it will put lives at risk."

'Bad day'

Dr John Hawkins, head of critical care at Stafford Hospital, said: "I cannot understand how they can take a critical care unit away and transfer that large number of critical care patients anywhere else in the country.

"You can't have ambulances turning up without critical care units in the background."

Another member of the audience, Carol Byrne, said: "I think we are depriving women of a choice of where they have their babies."

Kate Godfrey, the Labour Party prospective parliamentary candidate for Stafford, said it was a "bad day".

The meeting, organised by Stafford Hospital Working Group, was jointly hosted by council leader Mike Heenan and Conservative MP Jeremy Lefroy.

Mr Lefroy said he would look at launching a high court challenge against the recommendations.