In a scathing letter to his former employers, which was passed to the Comet, he described his experience at the hospital as 'soul destroying'.

He also rebutted claims by hospital managers that morale was good and said staff had expressed their concerns on numerous occasions.

The letter has embarrassed hospital bosses who claimed most of the 17 nurses who have quit over the past six months expressed "their satisfaction and enjoyment in their work and thanked managers for their support."

The nurse said: "We tried all internal avenues and things just deteriorated. I and many of my colleagues left because no matter how many protested about patients' lives being risked, no matter how many resigned, managers were always inert.

"They claim we all left to seek promotion or travel, the truth is many of us resigned without having another job to go to, simply fleeing West Middlesex."

In his letter he cites his reasons for quitting his job as the escalating violence against staff, appalling working conditions and the care being received by patients.

He said: "The hospital's A and E department has a leper status among job seekers. An exodus of staff gets noticed."

A spokesman for the West Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust said measures had been introduced to reduce waiting times in A and E and to prevent violent attacks on staff.

He said: "The trust is open about the pressure it faces which is no different to other hospitals in West London.

"We recognise the situation is far from ideal and that we do not get everything right. However, much is being done to improve matters, and all the reported incidents will be investigated fully."

He said only two senior posts remain unfilled following a recruitment drive and the remaining posts would be filled by agency staff so the quality of nursing care was not reduced.

Twickenham MP Vincent Cable has applied for an emergency adjournment debate in the Commons on the problems experienced at the West Middlesex. He said: "The letter is shocking but not surprising. I receive many such letters from patients detailing long waits for treatment in the A&E ward, overnight stays, lack of help from harassed and over- worked nurses and an atmosphere of permanent crisis.

"I don't want to encourage stories which frighten prospective patients but these problems do need to be aired."

He is also pressing for a meeting with Brentford and Isleworth MP Ann Keen.