Britain's first PFI hospital has been heavily criticised by a government health watchdog.

The North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust which runs the Cumberland Infirmary received a heavy drubbing from the Commission for Health Improvement over a range of failures.

Ahead of the commission's report, which found the trust lacked leadership, direction and planning its chief executive of just 16 months, Nick Wood, quit his post.

Part of the controversy surrounded Cumberland Infirmary which was the first hospital to be built using PFI cash.

It has suffered a series of problems and has 89 beds fewer than the hospital it replaced. The commission blamed the hospital management for many of the errors. At one stage the hospital cancelled emergency admissions because of shortages.

The hospital's trust, which was formed in 2001 by merging Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven, had failed to develop a coherent strategy, the report found.

Peter Homa of the commission said the trust had a massive job to do.

"It needs to engage and listen to staff and stakeholders and provide a clear vision and achievable action plan if it is to move forward and implement change in line with clinical governance priorities," he said.