A nurse who has been arrested in connection with the deaths of patients at Stepping Hill hospital has been identified as a 46-year-old man from the Heaton Norris district of Stockport. It is understood that Victorino Chua, a married man, has worked at the hospital for around two years
His arrest was prompted after staff at the hospital noticed that medical records had been tampered with on Monday. Greater Manchester police said the arrest had been made over alleged administering of poison or other noxious substance. A patient who had been given an incorrect dose of medication has been closely monitored by staff at the hospital and has since been discharged.
The hospital's chief executive at Stockport NHS foundation trust, which runs the hospital, said he was "appalled".
Chief executive Chris Burke said: "We are aware that Greater Manchester police has arrested a 46-year-old man on suspicion of tampering with prescription charts.
"Because of highly experienced doctors and nurses immediately spotting the changes on prescription charts, no patient has been harmed. The police were called as soon as the prescription chart changes were discovered via our routine good practice. We are appalled by the malicious intent of this act, but, thanks to the skill and experience of our staff, it was spotted and reported immediately, and most importantly we ensured no patient suffered any ill-effects. "We continue to support the police in this ongoing investigation."
But it is understood that the arrested nurse worked on the same wards at the same time that the patients were poisoned in June and July 2011.
Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney praised the diligence of staff at the hospital who made police aware of the potential tampering of medical records.
"I cannot stress enough just how complex an investigation this is and it is one that we continue to commit significant resources to," he added. "I know relatives of the confirmed victims affected and the public in general continue to seek answers and we are working as quickly as we can to provide them without jeopardising the quality or integrity of the investigation."
Meanwhile, the death of an 82-year-old man on New Year's Eve is being investigated as part of the wider inquiry after he became ill in summer while being treated at Stepping Hill. The three other confirmed victims who died are Tracey Arden, Arnold Lancaster and Derek Weaver who died shortly after their hypoglycaemic episodes.
The death of William Dickson is the fourth that is being treated as suspicious following the contamination of saline drips with insulin at the hospital between June and July last year.
Dickson, who was born in Glasgow and lived in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, is a former journalist at the Daily Mail and news editor at the Manchester Evening News.
• A version of this story first appeared in the Guardian on Saturday 7 January 2012.
