“**Woman at Britain’s largest paediatric intensive care unit held on suspicion of administering a poison**
Child deaths and sudden collapses at Britain’s largest paediatric intensive care unit have been investigated after concerns about a surge in fatalities.
A review into cases of patients being treated on the unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital as far back as January last year has been conducted by the NHS trust. The clinicians’ findings have been passed to police.
Documents seen by The Sunday Times reveal there have been sudden unexpected deaths of three children. The families of all the patients whose cases have been reviewed have been told about the findings.
A nurse was arrested in relation to one incident in May last year after a child’s sudden death. It is understood that colleagues of the nurse raised concerns when the child deteriorated on May 18 last year. The child died the next day and the 28-year-old nurse was arrested by West Midlands police on suspicion of administering a poison with intent to endanger life.
She remains suspended from work and has also been suspended by the regulator, meaning she cannot work as a nurse elsewhere.
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.”
She added: “The trust immediately followed the standard safeguarding protocol for the sudden unexpected death of a child, and West Midlands police were notified the same day.
“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. Their findings have in turn been reviewed by independent experts and shared with the police.”
Reynolds said the trust had spoken to all the families where the care of their child had been reviewed, and had responded to all requests from West Midlands police and the coroner.
“At all times our priority is patient safety, which is why we took decisive action without delay,” she said.
Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s 31-bed paediatric intensive care unit is the largest of its kind in the UK.
Last year, the trust board was alerted to a surge in mortality rates among neonatal and paediatric intensive care services. The trust said all deaths continued to be reviewed and reported to national surveillance systems for paediatric care.
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.””
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“**Woman at Britain’s largest paediatric intensive care unit held on suspicion of administering a poison**
Child deaths and sudden collapses at Britain’s largest paediatric intensive care unit have been investigated after concerns about a surge in fatalities.
A review into cases of patients being treated on the unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital as far back as January last year has been conducted by the NHS trust. The clinicians’ findings have been passed to police.
Documents seen by The Sunday Times reveal there have been sudden unexpected deaths of three children. The families of all the patients whose cases have been reviewed have been told about the findings.
A nurse was arrested in relation to one incident in May last year after a child’s sudden death. It is understood that colleagues of the nurse raised concerns when the child deteriorated on May 18 last year. The child died the next day and the 28-year-old nurse was arrested by West Midlands police on suspicion of administering a poison with intent to endanger life.
She remains suspended from work and has also been suspended by the regulator, meaning she cannot work as a nurse elsewhere.
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.”
She added: “The trust immediately followed the standard safeguarding protocol for the sudden unexpected death of a child, and West Midlands police were notified the same day.
“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. Their findings have in turn been reviewed by independent experts and shared with the police.”
Reynolds said the trust had spoken to all the families where the care of their child had been reviewed, and had responded to all requests from West Midlands police and the coroner.
“At all times our priority is patient safety, which is why we took decisive action without delay,” she said.
Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s 31-bed paediatric intensive care unit is the largest of its kind in the UK.
Last year, the trust board was alerted to a surge in mortality rates among neonatal and paediatric intensive care services. The trust said all deaths continued to be reviewed and reported to national surveillance systems for paediatric care.
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.””