Gosport hospital deaths: MP says report is heartbreaking and adds '˜no-one realised the scale' of this

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage at Portsmouth Cathedral today

Published today, the Gosport Independent Panel looked into the deaths of patients between 1988 and 2000.

It found 456 patients died ‘through prescribing and administering opioids without medical justification’.

It added due to missing records, there were probably at least another 200 patients ‘whose lives were shortened’ in similar circumstances.

Live updates as Gosport hospital deaths inquiry findings are announced

Gosport MP Ms Dinenage said: ‘The report is utterly chilling. It is absolutely heartbreaking.

‘No-one realised the scale and there are so many unanswered questions.

‘The report talks about the disregard for human life and not only the failure of care but the failure in the investigation.

‘Urgent action is required to answer some of these questions. It has taken this long to get to the truth and I cannot begin to think what the families are going through.’