A campaign to re-open a hospital’s accident and emergency department to children has been launched by a regional daily.

The Children’s Emergency Centre (CEC) at Stafford’s County Hospital closed two weeks ago after an internal investigation found there were not enough staff with specialist training.

Now Wolverhampton-based daily the Express & Star is calling on Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to reverse the decision – which parents facing a drive of up to an hour to hospitals in Wolverhampton, Walsall, Telford or Newcastle-Under-Lyme for children to receive emergency treatment.

The hospital was at the centre of a scandal over poor care and high mortality rates which led to a 2010 public inquiry.

However the Express & Star has backed the hospital in its bid to to prevent some of its services from being cut, with the support of local MPs and health campaigners.

Editor Keith Harrison said: “We understand the reasons why the decision was taken, but the priority must be to raise standards so that the unit can re-open as soon as possible.

“We cannot accept the unacceptable and stand idly by while services are stripped away from Stafford. It is bad enough that the A&E department is no longer open 24 hours a day.

“Three years ago, I joined up to 40,000 people marching to support the hospital. Now we need to make our voices heard again.”