20 October 2023 , 08:16
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Families who were victims of serial killer nurse Lucy Letby deserve answers the health secretary has said, as a probe is launched into how she was able to carry out her sick crimes.
The evil 33-year-old was told in August she would die behind bars after being convicted of murdering seven babies in her care at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit, as well as the attempted murder of six others. An inquiry into the murders is now in its early stages as investigations begin into how Letby slipped the net.
One of the country's most senior judges, Lady Justice Thirlwall, is to lead the investigation, which will look at staff and management aware of the concerns around Letby, as well as the babies' parents experiences and whether changes are needed to the NHS culture around caring for newborns. Health secretary Steve Barclay said it was " a duty" to give the parents of Letby's victims some answers.
He said: "Losing a child is the greatest sorrow any parent can experience, and I cannot begin to imagine the hurt and suffering experienced by the families affected by Lucy Letby's horrific crimes. We have a duty to get them the answers they deserve, to hold people to account where they need to be, and to make sure lessons are learned.
Senior judge Lady Justice Thirlwall will lead the probe (PA)"These terms of reference have been agreed following engagement with the families, and I am confident Lady Justice Thirlwall will ensure their voices are heard as the inquiry gets under way." Earlier this month, Cheshire Police announced they were investigating the hospital over whether there were grounds for corporate manslaughter charges.
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Letby's despicable crimes, in which she killed or attempted to kill infants by injecting them with air or insulin, were carried out between June 2015 and June 2016. The 33-year-old has never revealed the motive for the murders.
Throughout the Manchester crown court trial - which at 10 months, was the longest-running in British criminal history - it was heard how doctors on the ward had raised concerns about the number of babies dying which coincided with Letby's shifts. But management brushed off the concerns, forcing one doctor to even write her a letter of apology.
The ongoing probe now will look at the conduct of those working at the hospital and whether the police and other external bodies should have been informed sooner of suspicions surrounding Letby. It's been suggested already that hospital management staff should be on a register in the same way doctors, nurses and midwives are. The inquiry chairwoman will provide a final report to the health secretary and make recommendations as she considers appropriate, it added.
Irwin Mitchell lawyer Tim Annett, who represents a number of the affected parents, said: "All our clients want is for no stone to be left unturned in fully establishing how Letby was able to commit the most heinous crimes. We welcome the terms of the investigation which will hopefully provide families with the answers they deserve, although our clients also hope that it will be possible to investigate the full extent of Letby's unlawful activities.
"While nothing will ever make up for the losses suffered by the families, we're determined to working with the inquiry to ensure it's as effective as possible in producing robust recommendations to minimise the risk of similar events in the future."