On 8 November 2021, the Government announced an independent inquiry to examine the circumstances surrounding the offences committed by David Fuller in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and the national implications of his offending.
Following my statement on 1 December 2022, when I announced the establishment of the compensation scheme to facilitate compensation payments to the family members of David Fuller’s victims, I also updated Parliament on the timescales of the inquiry. I advised that the report on matters relating to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust was planned for the first half of 2023.
I now wish to update Parliament on the fact that, earlier this year, the inquiry was provided with information that had been passed on to the police in line with its terms of reference.
The police have now completed their enquiries regarding the new information provided to them and have found no evidence of any further criminal offences.
The inquiry will now need to investigate the information received by the police and expects that a report before the autumn will not be possible.
This delay is necessary to allow time for a thorough investigation of the information received and consideration of its impact on the inquiry.
The inquiry has notified the families of David Fuller’s victims of the results of the assessment by the police and the change in timescales. I will continue to keep Parliament updated with any substantial developments.
[HCWS763]