Stafford Hospital scandal: No staff members to face criminal charges

The 18-month inquiry, called in the wake of the damning Francis Report, found there were no grounds to prosecute staff or for further action against the former Mid Staffs Trust.

Deputy Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police, Nicholas Baker, said: "That there were no grounds to support individual criminal investigations does not detract from the appalling care that many patients suffered during the period of this review; patients and their families were badly let down by the trust, and some of its clinicians and their management."

Police today published a final report detailing their examination of 'high mortality rates' at the hospital between 2005 and 2009.

So far the trust has been prosecuted over five patient deaths and fined £700,000, 44 doctors have faced investigation by the General Medical Council, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council has also considered cases against 36 nurses and midwives.

But not a single person - notably hospital management and directors - have been held accountable for the scandal that saw hundreds of cases of appalling care.

Police say some of the convictions against the trust would not have been achieved without their review of the deaths.

Mr Baker added: "We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of those patients who died. Throughout the process of the review we have maintained regular contact with the families and supporting them throughout this process has been a priority for Staffordshire police.

"Prior to publication of the report we have shared the findings with the families of those whose cases we examined in more detail. I would like to thank them for their patience, and for the support they have given our officers in conducting the review.

"Staffordshire police acknowledges that nothing can mitigate the loss and subsequent distress the families have suffered during what must have been an extremely traumatic time.

"The review was not a criminal investigation. It was an examination of material by the police, with the assistance of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and other agencies, relating to 214 patient deaths at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust between 2005 and 2009, where alleged neglect may have been a contributory factor, and to determine whether sufficient evidence existed for criminal investigations.

"The volume and complexity of the review, the challenge of overcoming data protection and accessing personal records, the need for rigour and assurance in each case, and the desire to keep families regularly informed, led to a lengthy and iterative process.

" Our extensive examination of the available material, peer reviewed by Merseyside Police acting as an independent police force, found no grounds for conducting a criminal investigation against any individual clinician or manager at the trust.

"However, as a direct result of this work, two criminal prosecutions against the trust for serious breaches of health and safety legislation were concluded successfully. Without the review it is highly unlikely that the Trust would have been prosecuted for the deaths of Ivy Bunn, Lillian Tucker or Gillian Astbury.

"We believe the improvements made to the way different agencies work together, the regulatory and reporting framework, and the systems in place to report deaths in healthcare settings to appropriate authorities has strengthened the system considerably since the original tragedy.

"Given the learning gathered through this review, and the desire to consult with policing colleagues nationally, as set out in our terms of reference, we have recommended to the National Police Chiefs' Council that a national policing forum is held through which the police can satisfy itself that the arrangements that have been put in place to monitor deaths in healthcare settings are now sufficiently robust for the purpose to which they are designed.

"This forum will also include representation from the HSE, NHS England, Care Quality Commission, Monitor, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Coronial service."