Nurse arrested after infant’s ‘quick and unexpected’ death
AN INFANT who is suspected to have been poisoned by a nurse deteriorated “quickly and unexpectedly”, an NHS letter has revealed.
A 27-year-old woman, reportedly a nurse at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, was arrested last Thursday – hours after the young patient died – on suspicion of administering poison with intent to endanger life.
The alleged incident took place in the children’s intensive care unit.
Following the arrest, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that a staff member had been suspended pending further investigation.
The suspect has been released while the investigation continues and the results of forensic tests are examined, West Midlands Police said.
Tina Turner, 38, whose daughter Ruby, 12, is in the hospital being treated for pneumonia, said she had been sent a letter by the trust last Sunday informing her of the fatal incident.
The letter read: “An infant recently died on the paediatric intensive care unit after deteriorating quickly and unexpectedly.
“When this happens we try to understand why this has happened and follow a set of national rules to investigate.
“During the process we identified some concerns and asked for support from West Midlands Police to examine what happened.
“They have arrested but not charged a member of staff who has now been suspended. While enquiries continue we understand this may be upsetting for you and that you may have questions. We are here to help answer them as best we can.”
Ms Turner said that when she first received the letter she had been “shocked”, adding: “It was really scary because our daughter has been there a number of times in recent weeks.”
Other parents said they were desperate to find out if their own children had been seen by the accused.
West Midlands Police said: “We’ve arrested a 27-year-old woman in connection with the death of an infant.
“The woman was arrested on Thursday evening at a property in the West Midlands area on suspicion of administering poison with intent to endanger life.
“The family of the child are being supported by specially-trained officers.”
A spokesman for the NHS trust said: “Following the death of an infant at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, we have asked West Midlands Police to examine what has happened, in line with our own safeguarding policy.”