Lawyer Says Hospital Prioritized Reputation Over Infant Safety in Letby Case
Families of babies murdered by nurse Lucy Letby found a public inquiry report 'devastating' as it detailed how hospital management allegedly put reputation above patient well-being.
It was 'offensive' that National Health Service (NHS) bosses prioritized the reputation of the hospital where nurse Lucy Letby murdered babies over the safety of patients, a lawyer representing victims' families stated. Richard Scorer, speaking on the Mail's Trial+ podcast, described the public inquiry report by Lady Justice Thirlwall as 'devastating' for his clients.
Scorer, who represents four families, including the parents of two triplet brothers Letby murdered, noted that much of the report's content was not surprising as it had emerged during the seven-month trial. However, seeing 'the truth' in print reinforced the 'appalling reality' his clients endured.
The 822-page report detailed how the parents of the triplets, identified as Baby O and Baby P, now know their children could have been saved if hospital managers had followed proper safeguarding procedures and involved the police sooner. Lady Justice Thirlwall concluded that the triplets would not have been murdered had managers at the Countess of Chester Hospital acted swiftly and removed Letby from the ward.
Letby, 36, murdered seven babies and harmed seven more at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. She is currently serving 15 whole-life sentences but maintains her innocence. A review of her case by the Criminal Cases Review Commission is ongoing.
Lady Justice Thirlwall's report was critical of the hospital's 'dysfunctional' leadership, stating that executives failed to protect babies from harm. The report indicated that hospital executives allegedly refused to take consultants' suspicions about Letby's connection to a spike in infant deaths seriously, instead prioritizing the Trust's reputation over investigating the cause of the deaths. The report also noted that Chief Executive Tony Chambers, who was paid £160,000, engaged in an 'exercise in spin' to divert the hospital board from concerns about a nurse causing deliberate harm and contributed to a 'prolonged delay' in alerting the police.
'Fear of a press story was clearly a matter of concern to Mr Chambers,' the Appeal Court judge wrote in the report. Scorer commented that hearing about such behavior was 'very offensive' to the parents, adding that it was sadly not surprising, as similar institutional instincts to dismiss evidence and protect the organization have been observed in other cases involving child abuse.
Scorer endorsed the judge's recommendation for a government-implemented disbarring system for NHS managers found guilty of misconduct. However, he stressed that its effectiveness would depend on rigorous application.
Letby was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with one baby attacked twice, during her tenure at the hospital. The report highlighted that doctors should not have been required to provide definitive evidence of Letby's involvement, as suspicion alone should have prompted immediate action, such as removing her from the ward as a neutral measure to allow for investigation without endangering other babies.