County Hospital, Stafford
| County Hospital | |
|---|---|
| University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust | |
 |
|
| Geography | |
| Location | Stafford, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | Public NHS |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes Accident & Emergency |
| Beds | 350 |
| History | |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Links | |
| Website | http://www.midstaffs.nhs.uk/ |
| Lists | Hospitals in England |
County Hospital is an acute hospital with less than 200 inpatient beds, opened in 1983. It is the main hospital in Stafford, England.
The hospital is now operated and managed by University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust and provides a wide range of medical and surgical services. County Hospital's Accident and Emergency unit is the only such facility in Stafford. Wards at County Hospital are numbered, with the exception of specialist units
The Hospital changed its name on 1 November 2014 from Stafford Hospital to County Hospital as part of the dissolution of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust.
This hospital was built on the site of Coton Hill private psychiatric hospital which opened in 1854 and was demolished in 1976 with only the old chapel and gatehouse still visible. These buildings now form part of the Mid Staffordshire Postgraduate Medical Centre.
When the County hospital site opened in 1983 it was named Stafford District General Hospital. The hospital was renamed Staffordshire General Hospital when Staffordshire General Infirmary, also in Stafford, closed in the early 1990s and services transferred.
It was widely described as a "showpiece" hospital on its opening. However, in early 1985 it was the site of the serious 2nd major outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.
In October 2011 a Care Quality Commission inspection found a lack of suitably trained nursing staff on duty in the accident and emergency department. In consequence the department was closed at night for three months to remedy this, and to allow time for staff development.
In January 2013 a police investigation started following the discovery that a dummy had been taped to a baby's face, allegedly by a member of staff. This was resolved without prosecution.
In 2013 the hospital's regulator, Monitor, warned the trust was close to insolvent. Over the past five years there had been a 67% drop in the number of patients, largely due to a loss of patient's confidence following the Stafford Hospital scandal, and annual income had fallen by nearly £4 million. Stafford Hospital's mortality rate is now amongst the best within the West Midlands. It was found that the figures used were questionable and that the local CCG purchased services elsewhere. The lack of confidence and support for the hospital by the local community was shown on a public march which 50,000 people attended.
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