Police to probe UK's worst baby ward scandal: Detectives launch inquiry at Shrewsbury hospital where dozens of newborns died or suffered brain damage going back to the 1970s

West Mercia Police last night opened a criminal inquiry into the biggest maternity scandal in British history
Detectives met NHS officials and the leader of a probe into 1,200 cases dating back to the 1970s
Maternity staff at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS trust could face criminal charges over a huge scandal

Detectives last night opened a criminal inquiry into Britain's biggest maternity scandal. They will investigate failings at two hospitals where dozens of babies died or suffered brain damage. The dramatic development came after police met NHS officials and the leader of a probe into 1,200 cases dating back to the 1970s.

An independent review led by Donna Ockenden was launched by former health secretary Jeremy Hunt in April 2017 to look into 23 cases. But the number has risen dramatically to 1,250 - some as recent as last year.

It has been described as one of the NHS's worst care scandals. Kate's father Richard Stanton said last night: 'For us, this is a really significant turn of events. I would like to hope this is a real legacy for Kate and obviously the work we've done over the last 11 years since we lost her.

'It has to be a good thing that West Mercia Police are now formally investigating the trust. For years the trust has seemingly failed to learn from avoidable deaths only for there to be another one.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... Trust.html

Another report from the Times:
An initial review at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust in 2017 looked at 23 cases but there are now almost 1,200 cases being examined where babies died or suffered brain damage, allegedly as a result of failures in the trust’s maternity department. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/shre ... -vz0gbscsb

Report from the Independent:
Shrewsbury hospital: Criminal inquiry over worst maternity scandal in NHS history that led to deaths of dozens of babies and mothers.

A criminal inquiry has been launched into the NHS trust at the centre of the worst maternity scandal in the health service’s history, The Independent has learnt. Officers are investigating alleged poor care at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, which is already at the centre of an NHS inquiry into at least 1,200 alleged cases involving the deaths of babies and mothers.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/heal ... 93196.html

This has only got this far because a lot of people must have been pushing very hard against the solid brick wall erected by the NHS whenever they have really been up to no good. The fact it has got this far, with police interviewing NHS trust staff means there is something big afoot.

At this time, anything detrimental about the NHS is going to find it hard to gain any traction in the media, or sustain it, but this is definitely a case worth keeping an eye on.

As usual these inquiries are so far after the event that the influential who have covered it up for so long in their own interests are usually dead and therefore suffer no punishment.

The Grenfell Tower disaster is a classic current case of delaying the obvious to avoid accountability.