Former nurse arrested over hospital deaths

A former nurse was yesterday arrested in connection with the deaths of four people at a hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Kathleen Atkinson, 47, from Wallsend, Tyne & Wear, was a nursing sister in the intensive care unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. She worked at the hospital for 17 years, and was being questioned about the deaths of four patients between 1991 and 1995. A spokeswoman for the hospital said: "At this stage the trust cannot comment further other than to stress it is co-operating fully with the police investigation." A police spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a 47-year-old woman has been arrested and is being questioned in connection with [the] deaths."