Nurse arrested on suspicion of poisoning baby as probe launched into surge of child deaths
A NURSE has been arrested on suspicion of poisoning a baby as police launch investigation into a surge of child deaths.
A child admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital died “suddenly and unexpectedly” in May last year.
Staff members alerted the authorities of the case when the child rapidly deteriorated and died the next day, on May 18 2022.
A nurse was suspended and West Midland Police arrested her at her home in connection with the incident on suspicion of administering a poison with intent to endanger life.
She has been suspended from work and by the regulator which means she can’t work as a nurse anywhere else.
Birmingham Children’s Hospital offers a 31-bed paediatric intensive care unit and is the largest in the UK.
Now a “surge” of child deaths and sudden collapses in the neonatal and paediatric wards from January 2022 are being looked into.
The investigation into the unusual rise in fatalities was conducted by the NHS trust and all information has been handed over to the force.
As revealed by The Sunday Times, three children tragically died suddenly at the hospital.
The families have been made aware of the findings.
Dr Fiona Reynolds, chief medical officer at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, 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.
“Sadly, the child later died and our thoughts remain with the family.”
Dr Reynolds added the trust “followed the standard safeguarding protocol” and police were notified on the same day as the death.
“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,” she continued.
“Their findings have in turn been reviewed by independent experts and shared with the police.
“At all times our priority is patient safety, which is why we took decisive action without delay.”
A spokesman for West Midlands police said the nurse remained under investigation in connection with the death of the child last year.
He added: “The woman was arrested at a property in the West Midlands area on suspicion of administering poison with intent to endanger life.”
This comes as former nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and the attempted murder of six others.
The monster was sentenced to a whole life order meaning she will die behind bars.
Evil Letby, 33, killed infants on the neo-natal intensive care unit while working at Countess of Chester Hospital by injecting insulin and air into them.
And now medical experts investigating Letby have reportedly found evidence of “malevolent acts” against other babies.
Police are currently looking into all 4,000 neonatal baby admissions in the two hospitals the monster worked across four years.
Det Supt Paul Hughes previously confirmed Cheshire Police are looking into “some events” from Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where Letby was on placement in 2012 and 2015.