The families of hundreds of patients whose lives were cut short by painkillers prescribed without medical justification are raising money for possible private prosecutions after losing faith in the police.

Relatives of those who died at Gosport War Memorial Hospital say they need to prepare a case against those responsible for one of the biggest scandals in the history of the NHS.

Hampshire Police announced on Thursday it is to hand over its investigations to another constabulary, after a damning report found it failed to properly examine multiple reports by families and whistleblowers that doctors were giving patients dangerously high levels of opioid drugs.

The force was severely criticised by the Gosport Independent Panel, which found that more than 650 people died as a result of the prescribing regime at the hospital. Three investigations by Hampshire police between 1998 and 2010 failed to lead to any prosecutions.

Now an online funding appeal has been launched to allow families of the victims to hire a barrister to examine the best way of pursuing justice for those who died.

The families are preparing for the possibility of private prosecutions of individuals, should any new investigation fail to lead to charges, as well as civil action against the NHS trusts in charge of Gosport hospital.