Nurse suspected of poisoning colleagues baked cakes for the children's hospital

The nurse in her 60s who has been detained on suspicion of poisoning several of her colleagues at the Academic Children’s Hospital in Uppsala is said to have baked cakes and other pastries for her workplace on several occasions. This is reported by Samnytt.

In a post from the summer of 2019, a nurse who was then working in ward 95 E, i.e., the children’s emergency department at the Academic Hospital, described the now detained nurse as “our own pastry chef.”

In the post, the nurse is pictured with a large number of cakes, cookies, and other pastries.

Refuses to comment

Samnytt has spoken to the nurse who posted the images on Facebook. She refuses to answer questions about them, or the colleague suspected of the crime.

– I will not comment on anything, but refer you to Viktor Ekström, the nurse responds.

Viktor Ekström is the security manager at the Academic Hospital. And it is he who has been answering media questions in recent days regarding the suspected female colleague.

Ekström explains that he is not aware of the information that the nurse is said to have baked various pastries for the hospital.

– I know nothing about it. I have not seen any post and cannot comment on it, he tells Samnytt.

However, Samnytt has seen more posts showing that the suspected nurse has baked cakes and other items for her workplace. However, it is unclear whether it was only her colleagues, or also patients who have eaten them.

“Safe and secure care”

Of the four who are suspected of having been poisoned by the nurse, three ended up in the intensive care unit. Viktor Ekström refuses to comment on the condition of any of them.

– Our focus now is on ensuring the safety and taking care of the employees and the affected individuals. This work has been ongoing and continues. It involves support and the availability of immediate supervisors and occupational health care, he says.

On social media, there are several expressing concerns that the nurse may have also poisoned the children who have been patients at the hospital.

– The message we have sent out is that care continues. An appeal has been made not to avoid seeking care because of this incident. It should be safe and secure for our patients, Ekström says in response to the concern.

But can you understand the concern? One of your employees is detained on suspicion of having poisoned several people, and many may be worried about being poisoned at the hospital themselves?

– It is a natural reaction as a result of this, and especially the information that an employee has been arrested on suspicion of a serious crime at the hospital. So, I fully understand that as a patient or relative, you may be concerned.

– But our message has always been that the operation continues, and that we are committed to providing safe and secure care for our patients. Which we have done all along.

Are you looking into the patient contacts this nurse has had, to see if patients may have been affected?

– As there is an ongoing investigation, I refer to the confidentiality of the preliminary investigation, says Viktor Ekström.