Linda McDonagh, 60, suffered a hypoglycaemic episode at the hospital where police are investigating four deaths
Police in Greater Manchester have said a fifth patient has died after she was apparently poisoned with insulin when saline drips were sabotaged at Stepping Hill hospital last summer.
The patient, who was named by the Manchester Evening News as Linda McDonagh, 60, is one of 21 people who police believe were affected when their drips were deliberately contaminated with insulin at the hospital in Hazel Grove, Stockport. She has not been officially identified by police.
Tests are continuing to establish the precise cause of death as McDonagh, from Offerton, had a serious underlying health condition. Detectives are trying to ascertain whether the poisoning contributed towards her death.
She was one of a number of patients who suffered a "hypoglycaemic episode" after the drips were contaminated on medical wards at the hospital in June and July 2011. The deaths of Tracey Arden, 44, Arnold Lancaster, 71, Derek Weaver, 83, and William Dickson, 82, are being treated as suspicious.
The south Manchester coroner, John Pollard, has been informed of the latest death, but no inquests will be held until the police investigation – which is incredibly complex – is concluded.
Greater Manchester police said it had been made aware of the death of a 60-year-old woman at Stepping Hill hospital. In a statement, the force said on Monday: "The woman, who was one of a number of patients who police believe suffered hypoglycaemic episodes between June and July 2011 after being administered contaminated products at Stepping Hill hospital, died in the early hours of Saturday. The coroner has been made aware and further tests are ongoing."
A spokesman for Stockport NHS foundation trust, which runs Stepping Hill hospital, said: "We are aware that a 60-year-old woman who was a victim of saline contamination last summer has died. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time."
The hospital has described the incidents as "deliberate and malicious acts of sabotage".
A nurse, Victorino Chua, 46, of Heaton Norris, Stockport, was arrested in connection with the investigation earlier this month. He was questioned on suspicion of three counts of murder and 18 counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He is on police bail until April.
His arrest was prompted following an alleged incident overnight between 2 and 3 January, when notes were apparently altered and a patient was given extra medication. The patient has since been discharged after making a full recovery. Colleagues described Chua as a dedicated nurse who was very caring towards patients.
At the time, police stressed it was important not to jump to any conclusions.
Another nurse, Rebecca Leighton, 27, was arrested in July and held in custody for six weeks before the charges against her were dropped. She vehemently denied any wrongdoing and is understood to be appealing against her dismissal from the hospital after admitting stealing a prescription painkiller.
Police chiefs have previously stressed that detectives have not established the degree to which deliberate contamination of products may have contributed to the patients' deaths.
About 650 people have been spoken to by officers during the investigation at the hospital since the saline drip contamination was discovered.
The latest victim announced on Monday was one of 21 patients believed to have been deliberately poisoned.
The cases of a further 21 patients who suffered hypoglycaemic episodes are not being treated as suspicious.