Poisoning probe sees male nurse quizzed by police
The arrest came as it emerged that the death of an 82-year-old man on New Year’s Eve is also now being investigated as his medicines were contaminated.
His is the fourth death being investigated by police working on the inquiry.
The nurse was held on suspicion of unlawfully administering or causing a person to take a noxious substance, or poison, after it was found that medical records had been tampered with on Monday.
Sources close to the investigation stressed that the arrest forms part of a separate investigation to the one looking at the contamination of saline drips in June and July last, and as yet there is no link between the two.
But the arrested nurse worked on the same wards at the same time the patients were poisoned last summer.
Assistant chief constable Terry Sweeney said: “This is, and always has been, a search for the truth.
“It is due to the diligence of staff at the hospital that we were made aware about the potential tampering of medical records and everyone should be reassured that, like the hospital, we initiated a swift response and have consequently arrested a member of staff in relation to this matter.”
Police have yet to establish a causal link between the deaths of the four patients and the contamination of their saline drips.
The man arrested yesterday was held after another nurse noticed the medical records of a patient on Ward A3 had been altered over-night between January 2 and 3.
All four of the deaths took place on wards A1, A2 or A3 — acute care wards caring for seriously ill patients.
The patient who had his records altered was given medicine he should not have received but was not harmed. He was carefully monitored and subsequently discharged.
While treating the arrest as separate to the original investigation, sources said detectives will “follow the evidence” wherever it leads.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
