Hospital trust could be put into administration

Mid Staffs, which runs both Stafford and Cannock Chase Hospitals, could become the second NHS trust to be put into special administration. 

South London Healthcare Trust was put under the charge of a special administrator in June for being on the brink of bankruptcy. 

The trust, which runs three hospitals in the capital, was the first trust to be put on an ``unsustainable providers regime'' because it was losing £1 million a week. 

Mid Staffs, which has foundation trust status - a supposed marker of excellence in the NHS - is at the centre of an £11 million public inquiry. 

Robert Francis QC, chair of the inquiry into failings at the trust between 2005 and 2009 and the role of regulators, will deliver his findings to the Government in mid-October. In February 2010, an independent inquiry into events at the trust found it had ``routinely neglected patients''. 

Dr David Bennett, chair and interim chief executive of Monitor, said: ``We have been working closely with Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust to improve its performance. It has made significant improvements in the clinical care provided for patients, but we need to make sure these services can be secured in the long term. It is therefore time for us, as the sector regulator, to step in and look for a solution that ensures services are provided for local patients on a sustainable basis."

Lyn Hill-Tout, chief executive of the trust, said: “We are hopeful that the outcome of this review by Monitor will be that decisions are made about which services are to be provided at Stafford and Cannock Chase Hospitals.  

“Reviews of the Trust over the last few years and the changes to the way healthcare has begun to be provided nationally have led to a growing feeling of uncertainty about the future of the two hospitals.  We welcome Monitor working with our commissioners so that clear decisions are taken which ensure that the healthcare needs of local people are met in a truly sustainable way.

“We will of course give Monitor every support and will cooperate fully with their review team.”