'Unusually high' number of baby deaths and collapses at Chester hospital under investigation

An unusually high rate of baby deaths and collapses at the Countess of Chester Hospital is under investigation, police have announced.

Cheshire Police said it would be examining reports dating between June 2015 and June 2016.

The inquiry will centre on the deaths of eight babies where medical practitioners had voiced concerns, as well as seven further deaths and six non-fatal collapses which all happened during the year-long timeframe.

Det Ch Supt Nigel Wenham said the hospital trust had contacted police earlier in May to flag up the high numbers.

The investigation was in its "very early stages", he said, adding that no further details would be provided at this time.

A hospital spokeswoman said the high number of deaths and collapses had been highlighted by an independent clinical review into neonatal services, carried out by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

The report, published earlier this year, made 24 recommendations for improvement which, she said, were now underway.

It also included detailed case notes which were unable to answer all of the questions regarding the babies' cause of death.

"The trust and its doctors have continuing concerns about the unexplained deaths and are very keen to understand that everything possible has been done to help determine the causes of death in our neonatal unit," she said.

"As a hospital, we have taken the clinical review as far as we can. We have now asked for the input of Cheshire police to seek assurances that enable us to rule out unnatural causes of death."

The hospital's medical director, Ian Harvey, said he was "deeply sorry" for the "further distress and heartache" the investigation would cause.