Every
hospital in the country will soon appoint a risk manager to prevent another
mass murderer striking the health service, reports claim.
Under
new plans every NHS trust would appointed a "Harold Shipman spotter"
to investigate any suspicious deaths within the health service.
The
Times newspaper reports that the risk assessors will liase with senior officers
in the police force to investigate the concerns of patients, staff and
coroners.
When
a complaint is made, the risk assessor would work with the police to decide if
the case could be dealt with internally or needed to be taken further.
The
move has been prompted by the conviction of Manchester GP Harold Shipman, who
received 15 life sentences after he was found guilty of murdering patients.
This
has also led to a spate of calls to police for no reason – which has involved
up to £10m worth of police time – and even cases of suicide when medical
personnel are suspended from their posts.
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