Poisoning Probe Family Fear More Deaths

The family of an 84-year-old man at the centre of a hospital poisoning probe fear more patient deaths will be investigated.

Lung cancer sufferer George Keep died at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, Greater Manchester, two days after a ward nurse raised concerns about a higher than normal number of patients with unexplained low blood sugar levels.

The suspicious deaths of Mr Keep, 71-year-old Arnold Lancaster and 44-year-old mother-of-two Tracey Arden are being linked to the deliberate contamination of saline solution.

Insulin was found in a batch of 36 saline ampoules in a storeroom close to ward A1 of the hospital.

Detectives believe the insulin was deliberately injected into the saline containers which were used in drips by at least two wards, but they say the three deaths remain unexplained as they await post-mortem examination results.

Mr Keep, from Cheadle, was admitted to Stepping Hill on June 27 after he suffered a broken hip in a fall.

He was recovering well after an operation until two days before his death, when his blood pressure and blood sugar levels started to drop, said his daughter Carolyn Knowles.

She said her family were worried the number of deaths that police are investigating will rise.

"If you go into hospital, it is supposed to be a safe place," she said. "It is a place where you trust people.

"You just don't possibly imagine anything like this could possibly happen. I just cannot imagine anyone wanting to do that to someone else."

Her husband David added: "If the police start looking into the past, they might find all sorts of awful things and that doesn't bear thinking about that."

Greater Manchester Police's major incident team is focusing its investigation from July 7 onwards but will review previous deaths at the hospital if new information comes to light.

Long-term multiple sclerosis sufferer Ms Arden died on July 7, while Mr Lancaster died last Monday.

Police are continuing to interview doctors, nurses, porters, patients and visitors, while security remains high in and around the hospital.

Eleven people who survived the effects of the tampered medication will also be interviewed.

All future deaths at the hospital that show any signs of relevant symptoms may be referred to detectives to investigate.