Hospital ‘had a disregard for life’
to organisational changes that will help it “adapt and evolve to support changes in customer behaviour”.
A spokeswoman said branch closures were not on the cards and the decision was in line with its strategy. THERESA MAY has seen off a Commons rebellion on her flagship Brexit bill after a last-minute concession to pro-EU MPs.
MPs voted by 319 to 303 to reject a House of Lords amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill that would have ensured the Commons would have the chance to block a “no deal” Brexit. Legislation must now go back to the Upper House, but the vote means Mrs May has won the battle over a bill which is vital for a smooth withdrawal from the EU. A MAN was arrested after a small blast at a London Underground station believed to have been caused by a faulty drill battery, British Transport Police (BTP) said.
The 23-year-old, from Enfield, north London, was held on suspicion of doing an act likely to cause an explosion to injure or damage property, and endangering safety on the railway.
He has been released under investigation pending further inquiries.
Five people suffered minor injuries after the explosion at Southgate Tube station, BTP said. Officers were called to reports of an incident shortly after 7pm on Tuesday. CRIMINAL charges could be brought following “truly shocking” revelations that the lives of more than 450 people had been shortened by the prescribing and administering of opioids without medical justification at the Gosport War Memorial Hospital.
A damning report found an additional 200 patients were “probably” similarly affected between 1989 and 2000.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the Gosport Independent Panel had identified a “catalogue of failings” by the authorities and apologised to the families who lost loved ones in the scandal.
He told MPs: “The police, working with the CPS and clinicians as necessary, will now carefully examine the new material in the report before determining their next steps and in particular whether criminal charges should now be brought.”
He said any further investigations should be carried out by organisations not involved in previous probes, suggesting that Hampshire Constabulary should bring in another force. The panel found that, over a 12-year period as clinical assistant, Dr Jane Barton was “responsible for the practice of prescribing which prevailed on the wards”.
A man on a “packed” escalator said some people had been “trampled” in the commotion.
London Ambulance Service said two people were taken to hospital and three others were treated at the scene.
James Ayton, 34, from Southgate, was on the “packed” escalator when he
But Mr Hunt questioned whether there had been an “institutional desire” to blame the events on a “rogue doctor” to protect reputations rather than address systemic failings. The inquiry, led by the former bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones, did not ascribe criminal or civil liability for the deaths.
Mr Hunt said the report’s findings were “truly shocking”, with whistleblowers and families ignored as they attempted to raise concerns.
“There was a catalogue of failings by the local NHS, Hampshire Constabulary, the GMC, the NMC, the coroners and – as steward of the system – the Department of Health,” he told MPs. saw a “quick burst” of flames at the top and said everyone “legged it”.
He said there had been a “very rapid whooshing sound”. He added: “A few people got trampled on. There was screaming.
BTP confirmed the incident was not believed to be terrorrelated.
“Had the establishment listened when junior NHS staff spoke out, had the establishment listened when ordinary families raised concerns instead of treating them as troublemakers, many of those deaths would not have happened.”
The Gosport Independent Panel found that hospital management, Hampshire Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, General Medical Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council “all failed to act in ways that would have better protected patients and relatives”.
Its report also highlighted failings by healthcare organisations, local politicians and the coronial system.
The Gosport Independent Panel investigation into hundreds of suspicious deaths at the hospital, which was first launched in 2014, examined more than a million pages.
It revealed “there was a disregard for human life and a culture of shortening lives of a large number of patients” at the Hampshire hospital.
Hampshire Police chief constable Olivia Pinkney said: “Now that the report has been published and shared with us, we will take the time to read its findings carefully.”