HSE to prosecute Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

Wayne Owen, HSE principal inspector in the West Midlands, said: "We have concluded our investigation into the death of four patients at Stafford Hospital and have decided there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to bring criminal proceedings in this case.

"There are four separate charges, each alleging a breach under Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act.”

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust is due to appear before Stafford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 4 November 2015 for the first hearing in this case.

The Trust remains in place as a legal entity but no longer provides patient services.