Hospital fluid bag damage probe

Hospital staff called police when they found the bags leaking fluid

Police investigating the damage of intravenous fluid bags at an Essex hospital are also carrying out an inquiry into the death of a girl.

Staff at the paediatric ward at Basildon University Hospital called in police on Sunday after 12 intravenous drip bags were found to be damaged.

Police said the three-year-old girl was taken to the hospital on Friday evening and died the following morning.

They said there was no evidence to link both cases at this stage.

Commenting on the inquiry into the death of the girl, Det Supt Tim Wills said: "A post-mortem examination will be carried out by a specialist forensic pathologist and the priority is to establish the cause of death, support the family and keep them informed."

Police, who said the investigations were being carried out "in tandem", added that staff would be interviewed and CCTV footage was being examined.

Unit open

The store room has been sealed off while forensic examinations take place.

The hospital trust said concerned parents should call 01268 598536.

Hospital staff called in police on Sunday night after they found the bags leaking fluid.

Maggie Rogers, director of nursing at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "I can reassure our local community that we rapidly took necessary steps to ensure patient safety."

Essex Police have appealed for anyone with information to contact officers.

From the hospital, BBC Look East correspondent Richard Daniel said the intravenous fluid was understood to be saline fluid used for the rehydration of young patients.

"Police will be examining who had access to the storage unit, whether it was locked and who visited the ward," he said.

"These bags had been punctured but what we don't know is whether they had been contaminated."

He added that the unit remained open, although the storage area had been sealed off, while investigations take place.