The trust which ran Stafford Hospital will face criminal charges over the deaths of four patients it emerged yesterday.
The Health and Safety Executive said that it was bringing charges against Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. They relate to the deaths of four elderly patients between October 2005 and May 2014.
The trust was at the centre of one of the biggest scandals to hit the NHS when it emerged that thousands of patients had died unnecessarily at Stafford Hospital, now called County Hospital.
It was formally dissolved last November as a provider of services, and a new trust began to run the hospital. However, a shell organisation still exists as a legal entity until November 2017, and is due to appear before Stafford magistrates on November 4.
The HSE said the charges related to the deaths of Patrick Daly, 89, who died on May 13, 2014, Edith Bourne, 83, who died on July 22, 2013, Ivy Bunn, 90, who died on November 6, 2008, and Lillian Tucker, 77 who died on October 21, 2005.
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The HSE said it had charged Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust after a “thorough and comprehensive investigation”.
Tim Rideout, the Mid Staffs special administrator, said: “I am committed to bringing matters to a conclusion as efficiently as possible in the best interests of the families concerned.”