File ‘handed to police’ after ‘unexpected death of child at Birmingham hospital’
Reported medic-led probe into three deaths but Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said on Sunday, August 27, that the police investigation concerned one death
The findings of a medic-led investigation into the deaths of three young patients at Birmingham Children’s Hospital have been handed to the police, a report by the Sunday Times has claimed. Bosses at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust were said to have conducted a probe into “child deaths and sudden collapses”.
The newspaper said it had seen documents “revealing there have been sudden unexpected deaths of three children”. It came after a nurse at the hospital was arrested in May last year on suspicion of administering a poison with intent to endanger life.
The Sunday Times said a review into cases of patients being treated in the paediatric intensive care unit had been conducted by the Trust. The cases were thought to date as far back as January last year.
The clinicians’ findings have been passed to police and the families of all the patients whose cases have been reviewed have been told, the newspaper reported. Dr Fiona Reynolds, chief medical officer at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said her priority was patient safety.
Dr Reynolds said:
“In May 2022, a child on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital deteriorated suddenly and unexpectedly. Due to the circumstances of the deterioration, the Trust acted straight away.
A member of staff was suspended from work and subsequently arrested at home. This was widely reported at the time.
Sadly, the child later died and our thoughts remain with the family. The Trust immediately followed the standard safeguarding protocol for the sudden unexpected death of a child and West Midlands Police were notified the same day.
An extensive clinical review of deaths and sudden deteriorations in children on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit has been undertaken by clinicians at the Trust. Their findings have in turn been reviewed by independent experts and shared with the police.
We have communicated with all families where the care of their child has been reviewed and have responded openly to all requests from West Midlands Police and the Coroner on this matter.
At all times our priority is patient safety which is why we took decisive action without delay.”
West Midlands Police said a nurse remained under investigation. A spokesperson said:
“The woman was arrested at a property in the West Midlands area on suspicion of administering poison with intent to endanger life.”
The developments came after nurse Lucy Letby was caged for murdering seven babies and trying to kill six more at a hospital in Chester.
She has become the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history and will spend the rest of her life in jail.
See more here birminghammail.co.uk
Header image: Sky News
Editor’s note: Principia Scientific International is now seeing a pattern of scapegoating by senior managers of junior medical staff over the recent rise in unexplained infant and child deaths. We believe the notorious Lucy Letby baby killer case may fit this category.
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Jerry Krause
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Hi PSI Editor,
Relative to your comment I believe the medical problems of hospitals have have always existed. What is new in England (and probably the USA) is found in this statement: “The woman was arrested at a property in the West Midlands area on suspicion of administering poison with intent to endanger life.”
I believe that ‘law enforcement” was requited to have some evidence, not mere suspicion, that a crime had been committed, before a person could be arrested.
Have a good day
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