Nursing staff across the health service are “shocked and sickened” to learn of the crimes committed by Lucy Letby, the chief nursing officer for England has said.
Dame Ruth May said crimes committed at Countess of Chester Hospital were “a betrayal of trust” placed in the former neonatal nurse.
Letby was this afternoon convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others.
Prosecutors said Letby, 33, was a “calculated opportunist” who used the vulnerabilities of premature and sick infants to camouflage her acts.
She used various ways to harm the babies including injecting air into the bloodstream, injecting air into the stomach, overfeeding with milk, physical assaults and poisoning with insulin.
Some of the children were subjected to repeated attempts to kill them by the “cold, cruel and relentless” band 5 staff nurse, the trial – which began at Manchester Crown Court last October – heard.
Commenting on the verdict, Dame Ruth said: “Lucy Letby committed appalling crimes that were a terrible betrayal of the trust placed in her and our thoughts are with the families affected, who have experienced pain and suffering that few of us can imagine.
“Colleagues within the nursing profession and across the health service have been shocked and sickened to learn what she did, actions beyond belief to the nurses and staff working so hard to save lives and care for patients.”
Dame Ruth expressed “profound apologies” to the families for all they have been through.
She added: “The NHS is fully committed to doing everything we can to prevent anything like this ever happening again, and we welcome the independent inquiry announced by the Department of Health and Social Care to help ensure we learn every possible lesson from this awful case.”