A SETTLE woman has spoken of her distress after her elderly mother was allegedly poisoned by killer nurse Victorino Chua.

Grandmother-of-three Daphne Harlow, 90, was admitted to Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport, after falling at a care home where she had gone for respite.

Daughter Sue Haines said that before her admission her mother was a friendly and sociable woman but later became anxious and acted "completely out of character".

"It seemed like she had almost lost her ability to think about what she was doing," said Mrs Haines, 67. "She wasn’t as mobile, didn’t enjoy the same things she used to and was a very different person to the one who had sprained her knee."

The family was later told that Mrs Harlow, from Chapel-en-le-Frith, was thought to be one of 21 patients subjected to insulin overdoses after nurse Victorino Chua tampered with saline drips.

This week, Chua was found guilty of murdering two patients and poisoning a further 19 and was jailed for a minimum of 35 years.

Mrs Harlow took around 18 months to recover and, almost four years on, still has health problems.

Now Mrs Haines, a mum-of-three, has now instructed law firm Slater and Gordon to launch a civil claim against Stockport NHS Foundation Trust which runs Stepping Hill.

She added: "It shouldn’t have happened and I think they have got a duty to recompense all of the victims and their relatives.”

Ann Barnes, chief executive of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stepping Hill Hospital, said: “These were shocking and appalling crimes that took place when the patients should have been receiving nothing but the highest quality care.

“This has been an extremely difficult time for the victims and their families and our thoughts have been with them throughout this time. This has been a very complex and lengthy investigation. We are sorry for the distress they suffered at the time of the incidents and during the course of bringing Victorino Chua to justice."

A trust spokeswoman said civil claims were handled centrally by the NHS Litigation Authority and the trust had liaised with the Litigation Authority during the police investigation and the trial.

It was hoped that those who had made claims would see a speedy resolution, she added.