Staffordshire CC has agreed to help Stafford Hospital deal with a backlog of more than 200 complaints. The county council will provide specialists to help co-ordinate responses over the next three months. Council staff will not directly deal with the complaints, but will provide training and offer arbitration in some cases. Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust's chief executive, Antony Sumara, said he was ‘very grateful for this offer of practical help' from the local authority.