Scandal-hit Staffordshire NHS Trust admits safety breaches over death of diabetic patient Gillian Astbury, 66, was not given life-saving insulin after nursing blunder HSE prosecuted the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust over breaches Prosecution of trust means that staff involved will not face the courts Successful conviction will lead to an unlimited fine for under-fire trust Loved-ones complain senior management 'have never been held to account' Prosecution: Gillian Astbury, 66, died at Stafford Hospital after staff failed to give her insulin and the Trust has now admitted breaking the law A scandal-plagued hospital trust has today admitted breaching health and safety law after a a patient died when nurses failed to notice she was severely diabetic and needed insulin. The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust has pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety of Gillian Astbury, yet no staff will face the consequences in the courts. The 66-year-old lapsed into a fatal diabetic coma while being treated at Stafford Hospital in April 2007, when staff failed to read her medical history during a 10-day stay. After her death the NHS trust was prosecuted as an organisation, meaning that individual nurses, doctors and managers will not face jail for their failings. Today it has pleaded guilty through its barrister to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act by failing to properly manage and organise hospital services, including its systems for record-keeping, patient information and communication between staff members. It now faces a huge fine, funded by the taxpayer, because magistrates sitting in Stafford committed the case to the town's Crown Court after ruling that their sentencing powers for the offence were insufficient. Hundreds of patients are feared to have died unnecessarily at Mid Staffordshire between 2005 and 2009, and earlier this year a damning report warned that many others had suffered inhumane abuse. Gillian Astbury was admitted to Stafford Hospital following a fall at home. She was put under the care of a team of nurses who did not bother to read her medical notes and failed to realise she was diabetic and needed regular doses of insulin. She fell into a coma and died ten days after first being admitted on to the ward. Her friend and carer, Ron Street, said that when he went to visit her she was often in soiled bed linen and her meals would be left out of reach. Deaths: Up to 1,200 people died needlessly at Stafford Hospital - the worst scandal in NHS history The HSE began investigating the death in April, having postponed its probe until after the publication in February of a major report following a public inquiry into the scandal. It concluded that there was enough evidence to charge the trust under the Health and Safety at Work Act, for failing to protect others against risks to health and safety. The criminal prosecution at Stafford Magistrates' Court was brought by the Health and Safety Executive three years after an inquest jury ruled that Mrs Astbury's death was contributed to by low staffing levels and a systemic failure to provide adequate nursing facilities. Apology: Maggie Oldham, Chief Executive of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust arrives at Stafford Magistrates Court today where she admitted the patient's care was appalling but said the Trust is improving The trust could now be fined tens of thousands of pounds. The HSE said it was not the first time a hospital trust had been prosecuted under the law but there have been only a handful of cases. Although the proceedings were not being brought against individuals, two of the nurses involved face being struck off following professional hearings. In July the Nursing and Midwifery Council ruled that Jeanette Coulson and Ann King had failed to keep Mrs Astbury's records up to date or carry out blood tests. The panel will decide on a punishment for the two nurses over the coming weeks. Maggie Oldham, chief executive at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We accept the findings of the Health and Safety Executive's investigation. Our thoughts remain with the family of Gillian Astbury and we apologise for the appalling care Ms Astbury received at our hospital in April 2007. The Trust pleaded guilty through its solicitor to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act by failing to properly manage and organise hospital services, including its systems for record-keeping, patient information and communication between staff members. Mrs Astbury, from Hednesford, Staffordshire, died in the early hours of April 11 2007 while being treated for fractures to her arm and pelvis. David Lewis, for the Trust, told magistrates that the organisation wished to place on record that it was 'very sorry' for the loss, pain and distress caused by its actions. The Trust was not 'awash with cash', Mr Lewis noted, and was running an annual operating deficit of around £11 million. In a statement released after today's hearing, Mr Street, a close friend and full- time carer of Mrs Astbury, said: 'This belated Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution of the Mid Staffs NHS Trust (MST) affords a small measure of justice to Gillian, so far denied to many of her numerous fellow victims of the abject complacency toward patient care evidenced at Stafford Hospital between 2004 and 2009. The financial fine of the Trust is not the issue, as whatever the level of the fine it will only hinder the hospital which is otherwise trying to get back on its feet. My overwhelming concern is that the senior members of the Trust Board, who were responsible for implementing this system of unsafe work at the hospital whilst Gillian was in their care, have never been held to account. 'Today's acknowledgement of guilt by the Trust does little by way of justice against those individuals who permitted such unsafe practices to continue for so long.' Court battle: Bernard Thorogood, left, prosecutor for the Health and Safety Executive, successfully argued that the Trust, represented by David Lewis, right, should have their punishment decided at crown court Maggie Oldham, chief executive at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, said they had worked to improve the standard of care provided at the hospital since Mrs Astbury's death. In a statement, Ms Oldham said: 'Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Gillian Astbury and we apologise for the dreadful care Ms Astbury received at Stafford Hospital in April 2007. We have been very open and candid and have co-operated fully with the Health and Safety Executive throughout its investigation. 'The Trust offered no defence to the charge which the Health and Safety Executive brought against it today and accepts the court's decision to refer the case to the Crown Court. 'Although of little consolation to Ms Astbury's family, we can assure them that we have done everything we can to put right those things which went so very wrong in 2007 and that the standard of care now provided at the hospital has improved considerably over the last few years, as has been recognised by many independent organisations and individuals.' Families of the Stafford Hospital victims and union chiefs called for NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson to resign November 2007 Grief-stricken Julie Bailey creates the Cure the NHS campaign group following the death of her mother Bella, who died at Staffordshire General Hospital. February 2008 Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust, which runs Stafford Hospital and Cannock Chase Hospital, is awarded foundation trust status - a supposed marker of excellence in the NHS. Health watchdog the Healthcare Commission launches an investigation into high death rates at the trust. March 2009 Trust chief executive Martin Yeates and chairman Toni Brisby resign days before a Healthcare Commission report reveals that between 400 and 1,200 more people died than would have been expected at the trust between April 2005 and March 2008. Then Health Secretary Andy Burnham announces a second independent inquiry, chaired by Robert Francis QC, into what went wrong at the trust. November 2009 The inquiry formally opens, but the hearings are held in private. In its opening statement, Mid Staffs apologises for "harm and distress" caused to patients, their families and loved ones at Stafford Hospital. February 2010 The report from the £1.7 million independent inquiry is published. It concludes that patients were "routinely neglected" at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. The trust was preoccupied with cost-cutting and targets, and lost sight of its responsibility to provide safe care. David Cameron announces a public inquiry will be held into the failings at Stafford Hospital, with Robert Francis as the Chairman. October 2010 The Care Quality Commission (CQC) - now the health regulator for England - says Mid Staffs is still falling short on 11 key standards set out by law to maintain quality and safety in hospitals. November 2010 The inquiry hearings begin. In its opening statement to the inquiry, Cure the NHS claims the care offered by the hospital was so poor it infringed patients" human rights. October 2011 The CQC issues a warning to the trust after it finds low staffing levels could compromise patient safety. December 2011 Stafford Hospital's A&E department closes at night for three months due to staff shortages. The closure coincides with the end of the 139-day public inquiry which heard from 164 witnesses, with an additional 87 witness statements. December 2012 Lawyers reveal the trust has paid out more than £1m in compensation for "inhumane and degrading" treatment of patients. January 2013 An independent investigation concludes the trust is "clinically and financially unsustainable" and will not be able to provide safe care on a sustainable basis in the future. Police launch a criminal inquiry after a four-month-old baby boy was found with a dummy taped to his face at Stafford Hospital. February 2013 The bill for the public inquiry reaches £13 million. NHS Confederation chief executive Mike Farrar says the release of the report will be "one of the darkest days" in the history of the NHS. April 2013 Stafford Borough Council agreed to file complaints against former Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Martin Yeates, and chairwoman Toni Brisby. Care minister Norman Lamb announces that hospitals that give false information about death rates will face unlimited fines and promises an end to NHS's 'cover-up culture'.