Inquiry blames Countess of Chester Hospital for failure to protect babies from Lucy Letby
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A public inquiry found the Countess of Chester Hospital failed at all levels to protect newborns from nurse Lucy Letby, who murdered seven babies. The hospital kept parents in the dark about suspicions and conducted secret internal reviews. The inquiry issued 17 recommendations, including webcams in incubators and CCTV for insulin storage.
Key Facts
- Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall said the hospital could have prevented the deaths of several infants and the attempted murders of six others between June 2015 and June 2016.
- The inquiry issued 17 recommendations, including webcams or video monitors in every incubator and round-the-clock CCTV over insulin refrigerators.
- Hospital executives kept parents unaware of suspicions about Letby until police arrested her in July 2018.
- Lucy Letby, 36, is serving 15 life sentences for the murders and attempted murders and has been denied permission to appeal twice.
Institutional Failures
Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall said errors were made by nurses, doctors and managers at the Countess of Chester Hospital. She found a complete failure at all levels to invoke safeguarding procedures at any point. The hospital conducted quiet internal reviews and handed over infants' confidential medical files to external experts without parental knowledge or consent. Thirlwall branded this systemic disregard for families as reprehensible.
Recommendations and Legal Context
The inquiry's 17 recommendations include equipping every incubator with webcams or video monitors for remote family viewing. Thirlwall also urged round-the-clock CCTV over all hospital refrigerators containing insulin until keycard-restricted access is introduced. Letby, 36, was handed 15 life sentences and has been denied permission to appeal twice. An international panel of medical experts and statisticians has challenged the forensic evidence used to convict Letby, prompting her legal team to apply to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Thirlwall clarified that re-evaluating the trial's evidence or the safety of the verdicts fell outside her inquiry's remit.
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