Police close investigations into dead gynaecologist

Police have dropped all investigations into a former NHS gynaecologist accused of harming patients following his death.

Daniel Hay, from near Alfreton, died aged 61 in April while criminal and NHS investigations into harm caused to hundreds of women over nearly 20 years were being carried out.

In January, Derbyshire Police said it had dropped six out of 36 cases involving Mr Hay, citing a lack of evidence sufficient for prosecution.

It has now been confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that all criminal investigations into Hay have been dropped.

Police had been running a criminal investigation into Hay since September 2022, with an NHS investigation published in September 2025, three years after it was finalised.

The NHS investigation found "major" concerns of harm to 48 women and "some" concerns of harm to 68 women out of 383 cases examined.

Those cases dated from 2015 to 2018, and a further expansion from 2012 to 2015 is currently under way.

A force statement said its investigation had ceased "due to [his] death", adding that as well as the six victims it had already written to earlier this year, two women had contacted the force saying they were not seeking any further action.

"Following his death a further 28 victims have been written to, to explain the next steps that they can choose," a spokesman said.

"The first option would be for their case to be reviewed against a decision-making framework that would give the women an indication of, had [he] not died, how their case may have progressed criminally.

"The review would be undertaken by a police officer – and would not be a medical opinion – it would not lead to the case being referred to the Crown Prosecution Service and would not be a finding of wrongdoing or a formal judgment about past care.

"Should the victim not wish to have the review take place then the second option would be for no further enquiries to take place."

Hay's victims have made repeated calls for investigations into his practice and how he was permitted to practice to be widened in terms of scope and time, including colleagues and the organisations he worked at.

He worked across the "mid-Trent" area from 1996 to 2001 at Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital in Nottingham, King's Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield, what was Derby City General Hospital and Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

From 2001 to 2005, he worked at Chesterfield Royal and from 2006 until 2020 at Royal Derby Hospital, along with teaching roles at the University of Nottingham and Sheffield Medical School.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said some victims felt "failed and disheartened".

Hannah Green, 36, from Littleover, who had laparoscopies performed by Hay in 2016 and 2017 without her consent, has already filed for a review of her case, which was among the first six dropped in January.

"Part of my frustration is that everyone else will just get to move on with everything, with no further action because he is dead," she said.

"Daniel Hay has died and escaped the consequences of his actions.

"We have to live with the trauma and the injuries that he caused and we will carry that for the rest of our lives regardless, and that has been ignored.

"It is now going to be swept under the rug."

Pauline Hill, who was treated by Hay in 2001 at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, said: "There has been a massive injustice done to all the women involved.

"Whilst yes, I agree you can't trial a dead man, why should his reputation not be destroyed as we that were victims have been destroyed?"

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