WORCESTER'S new hospital and its staff have been praised by shadow Health Secretary Liam Fox MP, who visited the site last week.

He spoke after Friday's two-hour visit to the site, which included a tour around the accident and emergency unit, critical care unit, paediatrics and the neo-natal intensive care unit.

During the tour, he met staff, as well as representatives of Catalyst, the consortium which built the company and runs services including catering, cleaning and security.

"What is extremely nice to see is the obvious dedication and satisfaction of the staff, who seem determined to make the whole process as successful as possible," said Dr Fox.

"Like any new building, whether it be a new house or a new hospital, there are bound to be one or two teething problems and I think it would be unrealistic to expect none.

"The NHS generally suffers from staff shortages, but the new hospital's recruitment and retention problems will be minimised as it is an attractive working environment situated in a very nice area."