Ms Hewitt will speak to hospital bosses and campaigners

She was at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust, in Stoke-on-Trent, where the job cuts have been announced to tackle huge debts.

She discussed the future of the hospital with a 12-strong delegation.

Ms Hewitt has previously criticised the trust for having too many staff and admitting patients unnecessarily.

The trust has launched a 90-day consultation process, saying it needed to save money to address debts of more than �15m.

Staff say they are already working to full capacity Jim Cessford, NHS Save Our Staff Campaign

Posts going are expected to include 15 consultants, 370 nurses and 200 nursing assistants. Job losses are set to be fought strongly by the trade unions.

The redundancies will mean one-in-seven jobs will go with three-quarters of them likely to be compulsory.

Ms Hewitt later went on a tour of the hospital site in Hartshill.

'Wave of opposition'

Jim Cessford, spokesman for the NHS Save Our Staff Campaign, set up two weeks ago, asked why staff had to pay for management problems and government targets.

Speaking after the half-hour meeting, Mr Cessford said: "The tone of the meeting was very civilised. Unfortunately, I think she came with a set agenda in her mind.

"We've given her strong evidence that these losses will affect lives and left her in no uncertain terms that if she doesn't reverse the situation, we will build up a massive campaign.

"Staff say they are already working to full capacity. They are saying this reduction will tip them over the edge, as well as putting lives at risk.

"We are absolutely, implacably convinced that the public of Stoke will create such a wave of opposition, that the government will be forced to think again."

Protest march

Ms Hewitt said she was not interested in blaming anyone for the debt crisis at the trust and urged hospital managers to use the situation as an opportunity to improve patient services for the future.

She said: "I have no doubt the people of Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire will go on getting better healthcare as a result of the recovery plan.

"I know it's very difficult when the staff are facing such an anxious time and the patients are worrying about what's happening in the hospital but there have been problems like this in other hospitals.

"They've also come through this process of making very difficult decisions to tackle underlying problems and dealt with a financial crisis in a way which improved care rather than damaged it."