Responding to the Contingency Planning Team Report by the regulator Monitor, it said the proposed downgrading of service provision is "dramatic".

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Those proposals were put forward in a Contingency Planning Team (CPT) report for the health watchdog, Monitor.

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The Contingency Planning Team (CPT) report to Monitor last month said staffing levels at the hospitals were not sufficient to meet required standards in the long term, given the current range of services and number of patients.

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The Contingency Planning Team (CPT) report to Monitor said staffing levels at Stafford and Cannock Chase hospitals were not sufficient to meet required standards in the long term, given the current range of services and number of patients.

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Its report criticised communication between the three organisations and a lack of contingency planning.

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