George Keep, 84, and Arnold Lancaster, 71, died at Stepping Hill hospital last
week where saline drips are thought to have been tampered with.
The death of Tracey Arden, 44, at the hospital in Stockport, Greater
Manchester, is also being looked at by detectives while 11 more patients are
still recovering after being given insulin that dangerously lowered their
blood sugar levels.
Relatives paid tribute to the three who died as more details emerged of the
police investigation into their deaths.
In a statement, the family of Mr Keep, who died on Thursday, said: “George had
in his younger years been a hard-working Cheadle/Gatley man who was enjoying
his retirement with family and friends in spite of his failing health.
“He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He will
be greatly missed.”
A photograph was released of Mr Lancaster, who died last Monday, but his
grieving relatives were too upset to comment.
Miss Arden had been admitted to the hospital for routine Multiple Sclerosis treatment and was said to be doing well when she suddenly took a turn for the worse.
Her brother, Gary, said: “By the time my mother and father arrived she had just passed away.”
Her funeral had been due to take place on Monday but has been postponed while tests are carried out on her body.
Officers plan to interview up to 60 doctors, nurses and consultants employed by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stepping Hill.
While concentrating on the 36 ampoules of saline solution found in a storeroom that had apparently been injected with insulin - which is used to treat diabetics but can harm non-sufferers - they will also look at the possibility that earlier batches had also been contaminated and more patients killed.
A police source told a Sunday newspaper: “We are no longer treating the tampered medication as a sole contaminated batch because we cannot be sure that this was the only incident of its kind.”
Any new deaths at the hospital where insulin poisoning is suspected will now be referred to the local coroner, John Pollard, who is due to open inquests into the deaths of the three named patients.
Police stress that their deaths remain unexplained and post-mortem results are not expected until later in the week.
Meanwhile visitors to the hospital are being searched but no members of staff have been suspended.
This could suggest that police and trust managers – who met on Sunday to discuss the case – fear an intruder on the wards could be responsible.
There has been speculation that a medical professional could have been to blame, prompted by memories of the case of Beverley Allitt, a nurse in Lincolnshire who used insulin to kill four children in hospital during the 1990s.
Miss Arden had been admitted to the hospital for routine Multiple Sclerosis treatment and was said to be doing well when she suddenly took a turn for the worse.
Her brother, Gary, said: “By the time my mother and father arrived she had just passed away.”
Her funeral had been due to take place on Monday but has been postponed while tests are carried out on her body.
Officers plan to interview up to 60 doctors, nurses and consultants employed by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stepping Hill.
While concentrating on the 36 ampoules of saline solution found in a storeroom that had apparently been injected with insulin - which is used to treat diabetics but can harm non-sufferers - they will also look at the possibility that earlier batches had also been contaminated and more patients killed.
A police source told a Sunday newspaper: “We are no longer treating the tampered medication as a sole contaminated batch because we cannot be sure that this was the only incident of its kind.”
Any new deaths at the hospital where insulin poisoning is suspected will now be referred to the local coroner, John Pollard, who is due to open inquests into the deaths of the three named patients.
Police stress that their deaths remain unexplained and post-mortem results are not expected until later in the week.
Meanwhile visitors to the hospital are being searched but no members of staff have been suspended.
This could suggest that police and trust managers – who met on Sunday to discuss the case – fear an intruder on the wards could be responsible.
There has been speculation that a medical professional could have been to blame, prompted by memories of the case of Beverley Allitt, a nurse in Lincolnshire who used insulin to kill four children in hospital during the 1990s.
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