THE staff nursery school at Salisbury District Hospital has been temporarily shut down by education watchdog Ofsted due to safeguarding issues.

Toy Box Day Nursery was closed following an inspection this week to allow urgent staff training to take place.

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust confirmed the service — which provides childcare for the 4,000 hospital staff — had been shut down.

In a statement they said: "Ofsted has suspended the registration because staff do not have a sufficient understanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children. This potentially puts children at risk of harm. The Trust is working closely with Ofsted and Wiltshire Council to address the situation as quickly as possible."

An Ofsted spokesperson said: “The registration has been suspended as a result of concerns about the adequacy of the safeguarding arrangements at the nursery. The suspension is to allow time for the circumstances to be investigated and for steps to be taken to minimise or eliminate the risk of harm.”

Prior to the inspection this week Ofsted's most recent visit was in 2014 when the nursery was rated as 'Good'.

At the time they praised staff for their "strong emphasis on safeguarding children's welfare".

"Consequently, children are safe, secure and settled," the report added.

A spokesperson for Wiltshire Council said: “We’re working with our partners to look at how we can ensure that families using ToyBox can continue to access childcare that is safe for their children.”