A WHISTLEBLOWER paramedic, who was told he was banned from Redditch's Alexandra Hospital, has been given an apology and seen the restrictions lifted.

Stuart Gardner spoke out about what he saw as unsafe standards of care at Worcestershire Royal Hospital's A&E department and was told by bosses at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital as well as the Alex, that he was unwelcome at the hospitals.

The trust said that the ban had been imposed because his comments had upset staff.

However, since then it has backed down and offered Mr Gardner an apology.

In a joint statement, with Unison, it said: "Unison and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have agreed that the trust does not have the authority to exclude an individual paramedic from its premises and the paramedic has received an apology for the suggestion that he should be excluded.

"Unison and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust are pleased this matter has been resolved amicably."

They added: "A&E departments in Worcestershire, in common with the rest of the country, are experiencing high levels of demand and rely on all health partners working together to care for patients.

"Unison and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust are committed to providing high standards of care for all patients."

Mr Gardner, who works for West Midlands Ambulance Service, told the BBC how even before the winter pressures, patients were routinely treated in corridors at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

He said that he'd never seen anything like it and that patient's care was being jeapordized.

The paramedic, who has worked for the ambulance service for 26 years, said he had not criticised doctors or nurses but wanted to "raise concerns" about the location of treatment.