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Hospital bosses who ignored concerns over nurse Lucy Letby were “complicit in the harm that was caused” and should face criminal action, a mother has told a public inquiry.
The mother of Child N, a baby boy who Letby attempted to murder, also said “nothing effective” had been done by NHS authorities to prevent another killing spree in a health setting since the crimes of Beverley Allitt and Harold Shipman.
Letby targeted Child N at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit in the early hours of June 3 2016 by injecting him with air.
Consultants had previously raised concerns about a link between increased mortality and Letby being on shift during a number of the deaths.
However, lawyers for then medical director Ian Harvey and nursing director Alison Kelly have told the Thirlwall Inquiry they were not informed until late June 2016 about suspicions from medics that Letby was deliberately harming babies.
Giving evidence on Tuesday, Child N’s mother stated: “I would hope that the managers of the trust are held accountable for failing to investigate the whistleblowing allegations.
“A lot of the harm that Lucy Letby did could have been avoided if a thorough and prompt investigation had taken place after concerns were raised.
“The managers should be listening to what is reported to them. Ignoring these allegations or not giving them proper weight makes these people complicit in the harm that was caused. They shouldn’t be able to continue in their roles and should face criminal action.”
She went on: “I don’t think the NHS is fit for purpose as it stands. There have been many issues in the past such as Harold Shipman and Beverley Allitt and nothing effective has been done to prevent this from happening.
“It should start with the people at the top. They should listen to the consultants who work day in and day out on the wards and experience and know about the day-to-day running of the NHS. It shouldn’t be someone sat in an office making decisions.”
Child N’s father added: “I know that clinicians had raised concerns with their management in 2015 and these were not taken seriously.
“This feels like such a kick in the teeth, those missed opportunities to take action that could protect the children who were harmed or killed after these concerns had been raised, like installing CCTV.
“I believe that the use of CCTV on a neonatal unit can only be a good thing. I recognise there are privacy issues but really it’s for the benefit of everyone – babies, parents and also staff.
“I believe it can protect babies from harm and protect staff from allegations of harm if misfounded.”
The parents of twins Child L and M, who Letby attempted to murder in April 2016, also criticised the then management at the Countess of Chester. Letby poisoned Child L with insulin and injected air into Child M’s bloodstream.
In a statement, they said: “They allowed a nurse who was causing harm to babies to continue working after concerns were raised by consultants about her potential involvement in babies dying or deteriorating.
“If they had listened sooner, fewer babies would have died or been harmed. Fewer families would have been bereaved and damaged. It’s not enough to just say sorry to the families now.”
Letby was removed from the unit in July 2016 to a non-patient role but continued in employment at the hospital until her first arrest in July 2018.
She is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.
The inquiry is expected to sit until early next year, with findings published by late autumn 2025.
