Police have revealed the investigation into the deaths of 18 children under a nurse's care would run for at least another month.

Officers also confirmed nurse Elaine Chase, 47, had not yet been interviewed and is not likely to be until the probe nears its end.

Then she could be arrested or asked to come in voluntarily depending on detectives' findings.

Miss Chase, of St Mark's Road, Hadleigh, hit the headlines in June when it emerged Essex Police had mounted a major investigation after the deaths of the terminally-ill children.

Speculation has been growing since June that no charges would be brought against her.

A police spokesman today (Thursday) said: "The investigation is still ongoing and is likely to take some time to be finalised. It could possibly take over a month yet.

"There is no deadline, it will take until everything that needs to be done has been done.

"Obviously there will come a point when a decision on interviewing Miss Chase will be made. No conclusions have been reached yet."

A 20-strong police team has now been working on the case for nine months, alongside investigating other major investigations in the area.

The spokesman said the probe had been complicated by the medical details which needed to be examined. Experts have been called in to help officers interpret various notes and reports. They may be asked to give evidence if the case goes to court.

Police are keeping the families of the children involved informed of their progress and Miss Chase is being kept up to date through her union representatives at the Royal College of Nursing.

A spokeswoman for the RCN said: "Miss Chase is a member of the RCN and therefore we are keeping in touch with the case."

Miss Chase has not been suspended from the nursing register but it is believed she is choosing not to work until the investigation is over.

Police began looking into the case after being called in by the former Southend Community Care Services Trust, now the South Essex Mental Health and Community Care NHS Trust.

Miss Chase was suspended from there on an unrelated matter almost a year ago.

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