A MURDER and a child death were some of the serious incidents reported by health trusts in Warrington earlier this year.

Between April and June, 18 were logged by Warrington and Halton hospitals and The 5 Boroughs Partnership.

They were subsequently registered with health authority the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) and NHS Warrington.

On June 19, 5 Boroughs, the mental health trust that covers Warrington, Halton, Knowsley, St Helens and Wigan, announced that one of its outpatients had committed a murder.

It also reported on May 25 that a community patient, who was receiving treatment, had died unexpectedly.

On April 21, Warrington and Halton hospitals made NPSA aware of the child death.

The list was revealed following a Freedom of Information request lodged by the Warrington Guardian.

Other hospital incidents included a surgical error on April 13, seven pressure ulcers and a hospital acquired a case of superbug C. difficile on May 16.

A patient was found to have deep vein thrombosis on May 25 and on June 7 a fall was logged.

Independent contractors working on behalf of the hospitals were responsible for a confidential information leak on May 18.

A spokesman for Warrington and Halton hospitals said: “Our aim is to ensure that the often complex care we provide in the NHS is as safe as possible.

“We automatically report incidents such as hospital acquired pressure ulcers, slips, trips or falls that result in serious injury, medication and other incidents that can or have caused actual or potential harm to patients.”

A 5 Boroughs spokesman added: “We commission a thorough investigation into any serious, untoward incidents where we consider the findings will lead to an enhancement of patient care and safety.”

NHS Warrington explained that reporting such incidents was crucial to the care and safety of the borough’s patients.

A spokesman said: “This demonstrates an ongoing commitment to ensuring a robust and transparent system, whereby every incident is recorded and monitored accordingly.

“The safest organisations are those who report every incident, no matter how small, and learn from it.”