Hundreds of patients 'died unnecessarily' at flagship hospital

Some patients were hidden away in unstaffed units that were used as "dumping grounds" to avoid breaching the four-hour target for the maximum waiting time in A&E.

During the three years to March 2008, at least 400 more patients died than would have been expected at an average hospital with a similar case mix. But the commission could not say how many of these deaths were directly attributable to the poor quality of care.

Sir Ian Kennedy, the commission's chairman, said: "This is a story of appalling standards of care and chaotic systems for looking after patients. Those are words I have not previously used in any report. There were inadequacies at almost every stage in the care of emergency patients. There is no doubt that patients will have suffered and some of them will have died as a result."