'Dangerously Low' Staff Levels At Southampton General

Seventeen NHS hospitals in England have dangerously low staffing levels, according to rulings by the official safety watchdog.

The Sunday Telegraph claims all of them have been given warnings by the Care Quality Commission in their latest inspections.

The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says he expects "swift action" to be taken by those which are failing to reach the required standards.

Hospitals listed are:

Scarborough Hospital; Milton Keynes Hospital; Royal Cornwall Hospital; Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool; Queen's Hospital, Romford; Stamford and Rutland Hospital; Southampton General Hospital; Croydon University Hospital, Bodmin Hospital, Cornwall; Northampton General Hospital; St Peter's Hospital, Maldon; Queen Mary's Hospital, London; Chase Farm Hospital, London; Westmorland General Hospital; Pilgrim Hospital, Leicestershire; St Anne's House, East Sussex; and Princess Royal Hospital, West Sussex.