Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust is to face criminal charges relating to the deaths of four patients, one which was as recent as last year
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is bringing criminal challenges against Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust following an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of four elderly patients.
Lillian Tucker, aged 77, Ivy Bunn, aged 90, Edith Bourne, aged 83, and Patrick Daly, aged 89, whose family is being represented by Thompsons Solicitors, all died under the Trust’s care in Stafford Hospital between October 2005 and May 2014.
Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was at the centre of a high profile scandal after an investigation revealed that hundreds of patients had died unnecessarily during the late 2000s. The Trust no longer delivers services to patients, but still remains as a legal entity. The first hearing will take place on 04 November at Stafford Magistrates’ Court.
Wayne Owen, principal inspector in the West Midlands for the HSE, said: "We have concluded our investigation into the death of four patients at Stafford Hospital and have decided there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to bring criminal proceedings in this case."
Tony Mikhael, a clinical negligence solicitor at Thompsons Solicitors who is representing Patrick Daly’s family, said: “The Stafford Hospital scandal is an example of clinical negligence on a mass scale. The high profile nature of the Mid Staffs scandal and the number of people affected starkly raises the importance of proper funding and effective management in the NHS, something that the current government is neglecting.
“You only need to look at the Kings Fund quarterly survey to realise that funding is a massive problem in the NHS and we run the risk of another Mid Staffs scandal.
“While it will not bring Patrick back, we will do everything we can, using our extensive experience of the medical negligence process and court proceedings to ensure that the Trust responsible for his death is brought to book. We will be supporting the Daly family as they prepare for what will be a very public criminal court case over the death of their loved one.”
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