County Hospital Redevelopment

Constructing Excellence

In 2008 the Healthcare Commission investigated County Hospital (formally Stafford) in response to reported high levels of patient mortality and poor standards of care. Three further reviews and two public enquiries followed, all with damning criticism of the care provided, as widely reported in the national press. The reviews recommended that a fundamental change in attitudes to patient safety, experience and care was urgently needed, plus additional/reconfigured capacity. A capital programme was launched to implement a new model of care and a better environment for patients, staff and visitors. Clinical areas were reviewed and the works prioritised on clinical and estates needs in relation to the delivery of the NHS Clinical Model by the end of March 2017. The issues at County affected the Staffordshire community, who care deeply about their Hospital and its services. During the project there were rumours of potential hospital closure or service reduction, leading to a ‘Save our Hospital’ campaign with supporters camped out on site. Despite its issues, the community demanded County Hospital remained open. This gave the Trust and Kier an exciting opportunity to transform services and make a real change at a failing hospital.