Letby inquiry must also examine NHS ‘cover-up culture’, says ombudsman

The inquiry’s first duty is to give the families of Lucy Letby’s victims the answers they want, said Rob Behrens. Photograph: Cheshire Constabulary/Reuters

The public inquiry into Lucy Letby’s crimes must be widened to examine the NHS’s “cover-up culture” over failures in patient safety, the health service ombudsman has said.

The inquiry should also look into why so many hospital bosses ignore concerns about lapses in safety and victimise whistleblowers who raise them, Rob Behrens told the Guardian.