CUMBRIA Constabulary has announced that the four year investigation into the deaths of mothers and babies at Furness General Hospital has concluded today (April 24) - and there will be no prosecutions.

The investigation into the Barrow hospital was initially launched in March 2011 prior to the inquest of Joshua Titcombe who died at just nine days old in 2008.

It came as a result of officers receiving complaints about the standards of care Joshua received at FGH.

And at the time more cases came to the attention of the police.

Following Joshua’s inquest and subsequent complaints from other families, a more detailed police investigation was commissioned, led by Cumbria Constabulary’s Force Major Investigation Team.

The family members involved in the other complaints were told that their cases would not proceed to a criminal prosecution, and were given advice on how to progress their concerns.

The Joshua Titcombe investigation was then examined by the Health and Safety Executive, who have now notified the Constabulary that they will not be carrying out further investigations.

As the Kirkup investigation acknowledged the bar for criminal prosecution is for the police to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that a crime has been committed, the force said this case was always going to be very difficult.

The Report of the Morecambe Bay Investigation, which was entirely separate from the criminal investigation, did not raise any further issues of significance that were not already known to the investigation team.

DI Doug Marshall, who led the investigation, said: “Although we have not been able to progress to a criminal prosecution I am confident that it was right for us to undertake a police investigation.

"Our investigation meant that other agencies also began looking at what was happening at Furness General Hospital, and it assisted families in getting the independent investigation that they deserved.

"As the Report of the Morecambe Bay Investigation stated it was always going to be difficult for the police to reach the bar for prosecution, however it was in the public interest for us to investigate these serious complaints as thoroughly as possible."

He added: "I would like to take the opportunity to thank the families involved for their support and patience during a lengthy and complex investigation.

"I hope that our investigation and the Report of the Morecambe Bay Investigation have in some way addressed their concerns and brought them out into the open.

"However nothing can ever bring back those that they have tragically lost, and our thoughts remain with them. I share the hope that lessons have been learned and the necessary improvements made.”