Those in nurse manager jobs and other leadership positions have been cited as the "key" to improving care at a UK trust, the Nursing Times revealed.

Antony Sumara, the out-going chief executive of Mid-Staffordshire Foundation Trust, has overseen the hiring of 140 nurses in two years at the trust - which has made the "biggest difference" to the quality of care.

At the time of Sumara's hiring by foundation trust regulator Monitor, the Mid-Staffordshire Foundation Trust was an ailing institution, compounded by a damning report from the Health Commission which exposed major breaches of nursing care.

Now, the addition of more ward managers and senior nurses has turned around the fortunes of the trust. Sumara - who is being replaced by Lyn Hill-Tout, cites BBC News - has played a key part in its resurrection.

Despite being "the most difficult job" he's ever undertaken, staff at the trust are getting their "heads down trying to make it better", and the hiring of ward sisters has helped the institution immeasurably.

Sumara compared his role at the trust as an accident and emergency consultant to "stopping the bleeding", which explains the necessity of having competent nurses. He added: "Having a good ward sister is probably the most valuable thing you can have in terms of patient care.

"They will drive the quality; they're there every day."