A TOP-LEVEL inquiry into nursing care at a Sussex hospital was ordered by Government health chiefs last night.

The "no holds barred" probe into the level of care at Eastbourne District General Hospital - where two recent deaths raised questions of staffing levels - will be carried out by a review team led by the most senior nurse in the South East.

The review by Roy Greenwood, director of nursing for the South East Regional Office of the NHS Executive, will be independent of the Eastbourne Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, and the East Sussex Health Authority.

Its findings and recommendations in the form of an action plan will be published at the end of September.

The review, ordered by Health Minister John Hutton in the Commons last night, follows concern over staff shortages at the hospital.

So far this year, inquests have heard how two patients may not have died had there been more nurses on the wards.

Marjorie Dyer, 85, of Wadhurst Close, Eastbourne, died after choking on her lunch.

Nurses failed to revive her after mixing up her medical notes with those of another patient.

And Pauline Freeman, 54, of Little Common, Bexhill, died after a hysterectomy on a ward which had only one qualified nurse and three auxiliaries.

An inquest heard nurses on the under-staffed ward had failed to notice she was haemorrhaging. She suffered a heart attack following massive internal bleeding.

Mr Greenwood said: "The focus of the review will be to determine whether the trust has the right policies and procedures in place to enable effective nursing care to be delivered to local people.

"We will be keen to talk to a wide range of patients, staff and local people."

The recent high profile deaths sparked a campaign by Eastbourne MP Nigel Waterson for an immediate review into care at the hospital.

Today Mr Waterson said he was delighted with the review, but was quick to praise staff at the hospital - "it is very important to restore morale," he said.

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