DEATHS AT GOSPORT HOSPITAL

That this House supports the calls for a public inquiry made by the families of the more than 90 elderly patients who died in extraordinary and unexplained circumstances at Gosport War Memorial Hospital between 1990 and 2001; expresses its dismay that despite the fact that concerns were raised first in 1991, the issue still remains unresolved despite repeated investigations by the police, a highly critical report by the Commission for Health Improvement in 2002, 10 inquests and a disciplinary hearing by the General Medical Council; notes that serious questions have been raised by the families involved and in the media about the robustness of the inquiries by the police, General Medical Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council; further notes that the police refused to disclose evidence to the General Medical Council to facilitate consideration of whether steps should be taken to safeguard patients safety; calls on the Secretary of State for Health to work with the Secretary of State for Justice in convening an independent public inquiry, recognising that only a public examination with equivalent powers to the Shipman inquiry could satisfactorily consider the complex nature of the multiple deaths and satisfy the public interest in learning lessons about patient safety in such cases; believes that the establishment of an independent inquiry is consistent with the Government's commitment to putting the needs of victims and their relatives at the heart of the justice system; and further notes that the Portsmouth Coroner and relatives of the deceased have supported such a call.