'A third world country hospital'
Updated on 17 March 2009
Stafford hospital's accident and emergency services is branded "appalling" by health watchdogs with "serious failings" identified at all levels.
A woman whose mother died while in the care of staff at the hospital has described it as being like a "third world country hospital... an absolute disgrace".
The Healthcare Commission's report, published this morning, says management of the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was so focused on financial issues that it had "lost sight" of its real priority, the care of patients.
It documented untrained reception staff left to assess patient needs and a newly-qualified doctor left in sole charge of wards overnight.
