The Secretary of State for Health has praised staff at a special measures hospital during a visit to check up on how patients are being treated.

Jeremy Hunt visited Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone last week (July 23), before meeting a number of frontline staff as part of regular hospital visits he undertakes.

He was greeted by Alwen Williams, new interim chief executive of Barts Health NHS Trust who gave the MP a tour of the emergency patient pathway so he could see first-hand, how patients are assessed and treated.

He then went on to visit the Acute Assessment Unit and the Birch and Blackthorn elderly care wards, where he spoke to staff and patients and watched the team at work.

The hospital was rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in March with inspectors finding patients were put at risk and staff bullied.

Barts Health, the largest NHS trust in England which runs Whipps Cross, was rated inadequate in May after inspectors found poor leadership had led to low morale among staff and risks to patient safety.

The Trust reported a debt of around £63million last year but Jeremy Hunt said since being placed in special measures the staff should be proud of their achievements.

He said: “The issues at Barts Health NHS Trust are more complex than at a district general hospital, and the purpose of the special measures regime is to ensure trusts get the targeted support they need.

“Today, I've heard direct from clinical and support staff how morale is growing and performance is improving, which means patients are benefitting.

"This is in no small part down to the hard work and dedication of all the staff here and across the trust. I look forward to coming back in a year or so and seeing your continued progress."