David Fuller’s depraved, calculated and devious criminal behaviour remains deeply shocking. That he murdered two young women in 1987 and went on to abuse his role in public service to pursue his criminal activities is equally shocking. At the time of his conviction two years ago the Trust offered its sincere apologies to the families of Fuller’s victims. Today we repeat that apology.

The Trust Chief Executive, Miles Scott, said, “On behalf of the Trust, and on behalf of the previous NHS organisations that Fuller worked for, I am deeply sorry for the pain and anguish the families have suffered. I know how devastating it has been for them to learn the extent of his crimes.”

We would like to thank Sir Jonathan Michael and his team for their detailed work. The Trust did not see the report in advance of publication, but clearly it contains important lessons for us.

It makes 16 recommendations for the Trust including the installation of further CCTV cameras, additional swipe card access on doors, and regular auditing of mortuary access records. The vast majority of these recommendations have already been actioned in the period since Fuller’s arrest, and we will be implementing the remaining recommendations as quickly as possible.

The Inquiry team told us if they came across any conduct of concern, such as potential disciplinary offences or breaches of professional codes of conduct, they would tell us. We have received no such notification, but we will be studying the report carefully to make our own assessment.

We have worked with Kent Police and Victim Support to help the families of Fuller’s victims in a number of ways and established a dedicated compensation scheme. Our commitment to the continuing support of these families is ongoing and will be open-ended.

Sir Jonathan Michael’s report covers a period of over 30 years. Fuller’s crimes were horrific, and the impact of these crimes will stay with the families of his victims forever. We now have a duty to ensure the lessons are learned.