Hospital managers were told there could be a murderess working on their neo-natal unit but failed to remove Lucy Letby who went on to kill two more babies, inquiry hears
Hospital managers were told there could be a murderess working on their neo-natal unit but failed to remove Lucy Letby and she went on kill two more babies a few weeks later.
Hospital managers were told there could be a murderess working on their neo-natal unit but failed to remove Lucy Letby and she went on kill two more babies a few weeks later.
The revelation emerged on the first day of the Thirlwall Inquiry – the public hearings into how the neo-natal nurse, who murdered seven babies and attempted to murder seven more at the Countess of Chester Hospital, was allowed to kill for so long.
Opening the inquiry, senior appeal court judge Lady Justice Thirlwall criticised commentators, including politicians, statisticians and doctors, who over recent months have questioned the safety of Letbys convictions, saying such noise had caused enormous distress to the parents of her victims.
The judge, who is chairing the inquiry, at Liverpool Town Hall, said the serial killer had been refused leave to appeal the guilty verdicts, in July, but the Court of Appeals judgement had failed to silence the doubters.
That judgment marked a watershed, Lady Justice Thirlwall said. At last the parents had finality, or so it seemed. But it was not to be.
Lucy Letby (pictured) is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims
Lady Justice Thirlwall, pictured yesterday, is chairing the investigation at Liverpool Town Hall
In the months that followed… there has been a huge outpouring of comment from a variety of quarters on the validity of the convictions.
As far as I am aware it has come entirely from people who were not at the trial. All of this noise has caused enormous additional distress to the parents who have already suffered far too much.
Rachel Langdale KC, counsel to the inquiry, said it would be examining in detail meetings that took place between hospital managers and consultants as their suspicions grew over Letbys 13-month killing spree.
She said it would also look at several missed opportunities to stop her as babies died, why debriefs were not held, or proper minutes kept and, crucially, why the police were not called in sooner.
Ms Langdale said that, on May 11, 2016, a meeting took place between medics and senior hospital managers, including medical director Ian Harvey and Alison Kelly, the director of nursing, and the babies deaths and Letbys association was discussed at the highest level.
By then 10 babies had died, and Letby had been present for nine of the deaths, the inquiry heard.
Ms Langdale said that, Dr Stephen Brearey, the consultant in charge of the neo-natal unit, was at that meeting and will tell the inquiry: I highlighted that there seemed to be a disproportionately high number of sudden unexpected collapses.
We had reviewed care on multiple occasions, including with an external neonatologist, and the only common theme was the association with Letby being on duty.
We needed guidance and help on how to take this forward. I also made it clear these were concerns of my colleagues and were not mine in isolation.
A court artists sketch of Lucy Letby giving evidence at Manchester Crown Court on July 24
Lady Justice Thirlwall arrives at Liverpool Town Hall yesterday ahead of the hearings beginning
But Mr Harvey and Ms Kelly have given statements saying nothing they heard at the meeting justified the suspension of Letby from duties, Ms Langdale said.
Ms Kelly said Erian Powell, the neo-natal unit manager, was vociferous in her support for Letby at that meeting, the barrister added.
It was at a further meeting five days later that reference was first made to a murderess on the neo-natal unit, Ms Langdale added.
There was an urgent care meeting on 16 May 2016 at which Dr Brearey intimated that he thought a member of staff was causing the increase in mortality, Ms Langdale said.
It was at this meeting there was allegedly reference to there being a murderess on the neonatal unit.
There is a dispute on the facts here as to what was said by who at that meeting and this will be explored in oral evidence.
It is clear that no steps were taken as a result of the meeting on 11 May 2016 to reduce Letbys access to patients or to place her under any formal supervision, and unexpected collapses continued to occur whilst she was on shift.
Another baby boy, Baby N, was attacked at the beginning of June, and two more boys, two brothers from a set of triplets, born seven weeks early at the end of June, known as Babies O and P, were murdered on consecutive shifts before Letby was finally removed from the unit at the beginning of July.
The hearing was told Letby launched a grievance against the hospital, in September that year, and, despite repeated discussions between consultants and managers about calling police, officers were not immediately called in.
Instead managers backed Letby, who even sent an email to her colleagues, saying that: After a thorough investigation it was established that all the allegations were unfounded and untrue and I have therefore been fully exonerated.
Body worn camera footage from Cheshire Constabulary of the arrest of Lucy Letby in 2018
The investigation at Liverpool Town Hall (pictured yesterday) will examine how Letby was able to attack babies on the Countess and Chester Hospitals neo-natal unit in 2015 and 2016
The consultants were ordered to apologise and attend mediation sessions with Letby, while managers even allowed her to attend a tea party on the neo-natal unit, a month later, in preparation for her return.
Ms Langdale said one nursery nurse, Jean Peers, will tell the inquiry: We did cakes and tea, and she came in and we were all talking, and she (Letby) did not say a word to us.
Yvonne and I were talking a lot to make it nice and relaxed and when she went, we both said, oh my God, she is going to make it hard for us when she returns as she seems angry.
The barrister said of particular concern was the fact Letby had made a number of supervised visits to Alder Hey Childrens Hospital, in Liverpool, attending outpatient clinics, ward rounds and team meetings after she was moved from duties at the Countess - although a witness would say they believed she had no contact with patients at the renowned childrens hospital.
