Healthcare worker held over baby deaths

● Arrest made as police reveal that long-running investigation is expanded

A female healthcare worker has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of another six after an investigation into a hospital’s neonatal unit.

The arrest comes as part of a long-running investigation following the revelation of a high number of baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Detectives launched an investigation in May last year, initially looking at the deaths of 15 babies between June 2015 and June 2016.

Yesterday police said they had made an arrest and the inquiry had widened. Detectives are now looking into the deaths of 17 babies and 15 nonfatal collapses between March 2015 and July 2016.

Police have not said if the woman who has been arrested is a nurse, doctor or other health professional.

Detective Inspector Paul Hughes of Cheshire Police, who is leading the investigation, said: “When the investigation was first launched, it was focusing on the deaths of 15 babies that occurred between the period of June 2015 and June 2016.

“In addition, the investigation was also conducting a review of six non-fatal collapses during the same period.

“Since the start of our inquiries and as the informationgathering process has continued, the scope of the investigation has now widened.

“We are now currently investigating the deaths of 17 babies and 15 non-fatal collapses between the period of March 2015 and July 2016.

“Due to the nature of the case and as part of our ongoing inquiries, we have consulted with a number of medical specialists to ensure that we carry out as thorough an investigation as possible. We have also spoken to a large number of people to gather as much information as we can. 0 Police investigated a house in the Blacon area yesterday

“As a result of our ongoing inquiries we have today arrested a healthcare professional … on suspicion of murder in relation to eight of the babies and attempted murder in relation to six of the babies and is currently in custody.”

The hospital carried out a number of independent expert medical reviews into the deaths before calling in police.

Medical director Ian Harvey said: “We are continuing to support Cheshire Police with their ongoing 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.

“The Countess is now equivalent to a Level 1 special care baby unit and we are confident the unit is safe to continue in its current form.”

A report published in July 2016 by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) found significant gaps in medical and nursing rotas and insufficient staffing for the provision of longer term high dependency and some intensive care.

The RCPCH report said paediatric consultants had been concerned since June 2015 about a higher than usual number of deaths on the ward, several of which were “unexplained” or “unexpected”.

Security guards were on patrol and stationed near hospital entrances as a growing media pack arrived close to the main entrance.

Hospital officials said they will not be making any further statements.

As police officers searched a house in the Blacon area to the west of the town, one neighbour said: “I saw lots of police cars arrive, a few cars then a big police van, and gradually more and more came and they put up the tent.”

Neighbours said police first appeared at the property at around 7am on Tuesday.

Officers moved a small, silver Suzuki car from the driveway of the address to erect the tent.