EAST Lancashire hospital staff have been told to be ‘extra vigilant’ following a series of suspicious deaths at a Greater Manchester hospital.

Five people have died at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport since July 7, where saline solution given to patients was found to be contaminated.

And workers at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Royal Blackburn Hospital, Burnley General Hospital, Accrington Victoria and Pendle Community hospitals, have been reminded to store medication securely, look out for anything suspicious and carry out checks before administering medicines.

Greater Manchester Police, who believe insulin was deliberately injected into saline containers, are investigating the unexplained deaths of Tracey Arden, 44, Arnold Lancaster, 71 and George Keep, 84.

Today officers revealed that two more people had died, an 83-year-old man yesterday morning and an 84-year-old woman on July 14.

A sixth patient, a 41-year-old man, remains critically ill in hospital.

Nurse Rebecca Leighton, 27, of Heaviley in Stockport, has been arrested on suspicion of murder, in relation to the three earlier deaths.

Val Bertenshaw, director of operations for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “In line with all hospital trusts in the North West, we have issued a notice to all clinical staff to remind them of the medicines management protocols, ensuring that drugs and infusions are stored securely and checked before being administered to patients.

“This is alongside the vigilance we always expect from all our staff members, who are fully aware of their duty to report any unusual events or patterns immediately to senior staff.”

The trust is on alert after being warned to be extra vigilant by regional health bosses.

NHS North West sent out a notice to all trusts in light of the Stepping Hill deaths.

A spokesman said: “We have sent out a medicines management protocol memo around being aware of medicines management and being more careful.

“It is very standard procedure. We have not issued any other advice or specific actions. It is just to make people extra vigilant as a precaution.”