The Harold Shipman inquiry is set to investigate the deaths of 466 people. The relatives of another 152 patients will be contacted.

Dame Janet, the High Court judge heading the forthcoming inquiry, told relatives that she would do her "utmost to end the uncertainty" and said it would be wrong to speculate how many deaths could be attributed to Shipman, admitting that many cases would not yield conclusive results.

The inquiry, due to begin hearing evidence on June 20, will look at the circumstances of the patients' deaths, the investigative process that followed and how such a tragedy can be prevented in the future.