A female healthcare professional has this morning (Tuesday, July 3) been arrested on suspicion of murder in relation to eight babies and attempted murder in relation to six babies cared for at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
In May 2017, Cheshire Constabulary announced an inquiry at the hospital's neonatal unit in relation to a ‘greater number of baby deaths and collapses than normally expected during the period of June 2015 and June 2016’.
This followed an independent review by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and The Royal College of Nursing.
The arrested woman is currently in custody.
Detective Inspector Paul Hughes, who is in charge of the investigation, said: “The investigation into the neonatal unit at The Countess of Chester Hospital is continuing. Since it was first launched in May 2017, a dedicated team of detectives have been working tirelessly on this case.
“This is a highly complex and very sensitive investigation and, as you can appreciate, we need to ensure we do everything we possibly can to try to establish in detail what has led to these baby deaths and collapses.
“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 enquiries and, as the information gathering 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 enquiries, 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.
“As a result of our ongoing enquiries we have today (Tuesday 3 July) arrested a healthcare professional in connection with the investigation. She was arrested earlier this morning on suspicion of murder in relation to eight of the babies and attempted murder in relation to 6 of the babies and is currently in custody.
“Whilst this is a significant step forward in our enquiries 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.
“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. Parents of all the babies are continuing to be kept fully updated and are being supported throughout the process by specially trained officers. 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.
Countess of Chester baby deaths probe
“If anyone has any information that they want to pass onto the investigation team they are encouraged to get in touch via the Operation Hummingbird mailbox at operation.hummingbird@cheshire.pnn.police.uk
“Information can also be passed on anonymously, via Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 11 or by calling 101.”
