A NURSE has been arrested by police investigating the suspicious death of a patient following routine hospital surgery.

The drama unfolded on Saturday morning when a number of police were called to Hartlepool General Hospital, following the death of a 63-year-old man.

Yesterday, it was revealed that the man, Gordon Thomas, died at the hospital on Saturday morning.

The Northern Echo has discovered that, on Sunday, a 35-year-old nurse from the hospital was arrested in connection with the police investigation into the patient's death.

The nurse, who has not been named, was questioned at Hartlepool police station and then released on bail, a police spokesman said.

Mr Thomas, who was from the Blackhall Rocks area of Peterlee, had undergone surgery at the hospital last week.

Officials at the hospital have not revealed any more details about Mr Thomas, his condition or the treatment he received.

Staff and management at both Hartlepool General Hospital and the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust are helping police with their inquiries into Mr Thomas's death.

The investigation is being headed by Detective Superintendent Mark Braithwaite of Hartlepool CID.

A spokesman for Hartlepool Police said yesterday: "At this stage the inquiry is being treated as a sudden death on behalf of the Coroner."

Det Supt Braithwaite had a meeting with the coroner yesterday and a post-mortem examination was carried out.

Officers on the case are now awaiting the results of forensic science tests.

A spokeswoman for Hartlepool General Hospital confirmed that police were at the hospital over the weekend.

She said: "We can confirm that the police are investigating the death of a patient who underwent routine surgery."