An independent inquiry into the circumstances behind Lucy Letby’s crimes has been ordered by the government, it has been announced.
The Department of Health and Social Care said this afternoon that the inquiry will look at how concerns raised by clinicians were dealt with.
“This inquiry will seek to ensure the parents and families impacted get the answers they need”
Steve Barclay
It comes as nurse Lucy Letby was today convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others at a hospital neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
The court heard that several staff members had voiced concerns to hospital managers about the collapses of babies.
But, despite the concerns, Letby was not removed from the unit until two further deaths and a collapse happened.
In a statement responding to the verdict, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman said that “nobody listened” to the clinicians at the trust who had tried to raise concerns about Letby.
The ombudsman also warned about a “defensive leadership culture” within the NHS that has prevented staff from being able to raise concerns about colleagues, as previously reported by Nursing Times.
Now, the government has ordered an independent inquiry into the circumstances behind the murders and attempted murders of babies by Letby, including the handling of concerns and governance.
It will also look at what actions were taken by regulators and the wider NHS.
Victims’ families will be invited to both engage with and shape the inquiry, ensuring their views are heard throughout the process, said the government.
It added that a chair for the new inquiry will be appointed in due course.
The health and social care secretary, Steve Barclay, said: “I would like to send my deepest sympathy to all the parents and families impacted by this horrendous case.
“This inquiry will seek to ensure the parents and families impacted get the answers they need,” he said.
“I am determined their voices are heard, and they are involved in shaping the scope of the inquiry should they wish to do so.
“Following on from the work already underway by NHS England, it will help us identify where and how patient safety standards failed to be met and ensure mothers and their partners rightly have faith in our healthcare system.”
Separately, detectives at Cheshire Constabulary said they would continue to review the care of some 4,000 admissions of babies into neonatal units at the two hospitals where Letby worked between 2012 and 2016 – the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
Cheshire Police stressed that only cases highlighted as medically concerning would be investigated further. The Liverpool Women’s Hospital review does not involve any deaths.