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| Healthcare worker arrested over murder of eight babies at Cheshire neonatal unit | Healthcare worker arrested over murder of eight babies at Cheshire neonatal unit |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A healthcare worker has been arrested on suspicion of murdering eight babies and attempting to kill a further six at the Countess of Chester hospital in Cheshire. | |
| Cheshire police said the woman was arrested on Tuesday morning and had been taken into in custody. | |
| The force said it was investigating the deaths of 17 babies and 15 “non-fatal collapses” at the hospital’s neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016. | The force said it was investigating the deaths of 17 babies and 15 “non-fatal collapses” at the hospital’s neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016. |
| DI Paul Hughes, who is in charge of the investigation, said: “Whilst this is a significant step forward in our inquiries it is important to remember that the investigation is very much active and ongoing at this stage. | |
| “There are no set timescales for this coming to a conclusion but we remain committed to carrying out a thorough investigation as soon as possible.” | “There are no set timescales for this coming to a conclusion but we remain committed to carrying out a thorough investigation as soon as possible.” |
| An investigation was launched in May 2017 into the potentially suspicious deaths of 15 babies and six non-fatal collapses. | An investigation was launched in May 2017 into the potentially suspicious deaths of 15 babies and six non-fatal collapses. |
| However, the force said on Tuesday that the inquiry had widened to include the deaths of 17 babies and 15 non-fatal collapses between March 2016 and July 2016. | However, the force said on Tuesday that the inquiry had widened to include the deaths of 17 babies and 15 non-fatal collapses between March 2016 and July 2016. |
| Parents of all the babies involved were being updated and supported by specialist officers, police said. | Parents of all the babies involved were being updated and supported by specialist officers, police said. |
| Hughes added: “We recognise that this investigation has a huge impact on all of the families, staff, and patients at the hospital as well as members of the public. | Hughes added: “We recognise that this investigation has a huge impact on all of the families, staff, and patients at the hospital as well as members of the public. |
| “This is an extremely difficult time for all the families and it is important to remember that, at the heart of this, there are a number of bereaved families seeking answers as to what happened to their children. | “This is an extremely difficult time for all the families and it is important to remember that, at the heart of this, there are a number of bereaved families seeking answers as to what happened to their children. |
| “At this stage we are unable to go into any further details about the investigation but as soon as we are able to provide any further updates we will do.” | “At this stage we are unable to go into any further details about the investigation but as soon as we are able to provide any further updates we will do.” |
| Ian Harvey, the medical director of the Countess of Chester hospital, said the hospital was supporting the police with the investigation. | |
| “Asking the police to look into this was not something we did lightly, but we need to do everything we can to understand what has happened here and get the answers we and the families so desperately want,” he said. | “Asking the police to look into this was not something we did lightly, but we need to do everything we can to understand what has happened here and get the answers we and the families so desperately want,” he said. |
| “The Countess is now equivalent to a level one special care baby unit and we are confident the unit is safe to continue in its current form.” | “The Countess is now equivalent to a level one special care baby unit and we are confident the unit is safe to continue in its current form.” |
| A May report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health found that staffing at the hospital’s neonatal unit, which reported a higher than usual number of baby deaths, was inadequate. | |
| Two babies died in the unit in 2013 and three in 2014. There were a further eight deaths in 2015 and five in 2016. The review found no definitive explanation for an increase in mortality rates, but identified significant gaps in medical and nursing rotas, poor decision-making and insufficient senior cover. | |
| Last July, the Countess of Chester hospital stopped providing care for babies born earlier than 32 weeks after the review suggested 24 recommendations for improvements. | |
| An academic study, published in June 2017, found the death rate among babies at the hospital was at least 10% higher than would be expected at similar types of maternity units elsewhere. | |
| The authors of the MBRRACE-UK (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquires across the UK) report looked at stillbirth and neonatal deaths occurring at 165 maternity units around the country in 2015. | |
| It found the Countess of Chester hospital had the highest neonatal mortality rate of 43 similar-sized hospitals across Britain, with 1.91 deaths per 1,000 births, compared with an average of 1.27 at the other hospitals. | |
| The hospital’s ‘crude’ neonatal death rate – the number of deaths compared with the amount of births – was 2.96 per 1,000 births in that time, according to the study, meaning it was higher than all other similar-sized hospitals as well as the national average of 2.5 deaths per 1,000 births. | |
| Additional reporting: James Gant | Additional reporting: James Gant |
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