new chemotherapy suite will open at Cannock Hospital. The Accident and Emergency service for children was withdrawn in August 2016 because the trust did not have enough specialist doctors to keep it open, but a minor injury unit for children was opened in October 2016. In September 2017 it was reported that 45 patients could not be discharged because of the lack of community and domiciliary services. Staffordshire County Council said they could not meet the delayed transfer of care targets. Stafford Hospital scandal The hospital has been at the centre of the major scandal in which numerous newspapers estimated that because of the substandard care between 400 and 1,200 more patients died between 2005 and 2008 than would be expected for the type of hospital. In February 2010, an independent investigation recommended that the regulator, Monitor, de-authorise the Foundation Trust status. The official investigation and report showed that the method used to collect statistics re mortally were deeply flawed and gave a false result. The Francis Report had no definite figure for any deaths caused by neglect or poor care. In June 2010, the new government announced a full public inquiry, expected to report in March 2011. The final report was published on 6 February 2013, making 290 recommendations. Support Stafford Hospital Campaigners in the Support Stafford Hospital group led a 50,000-strong march through the centre of Stafford in April 2013 - a rally where protesters waved banners saying "Stafford saved my dad" and "Stafford looks after my son". The group said "We need to have an intensive care unit here, we need to have an accident and emergency 24 hours a day and we believe that's possible". A protest camp with more than 30 tents was established outside the hospital by the group in July 2014. Julian Porter, one of the founders of the camp said he feared increased journey times for patients making the trip from Stafford to one of the other hospitals could risk lives and increase the burden elsewhere. A meeting was organised by Jeremy Lefroy MP in March 2015 to discuss a leaked KPMG report for NHS England which suggested shrinking the hospital and turning it into a rehabilitation and elective surgery centre. Campaigner Cheryl Porter called for an all-party delegation to London to demand the reinstatement of a fully functioning hospital. See also Healthcare in Staffordshire List of hospitals in England References External