Hospital leaders allegedly failed to investigate allegations against Lucy Letby, a nurse who was later found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others in a neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital. The hospital is accused of attempting to silence doctors who raised concerns and of delaying contacting the police despite months of warnings about Letby's potential actions.
Dr. Stephen Brearey, the lead consultant at the neonatal unit, initially expressed concerns about Letby in October 2015. However, no action was taken, and Letby went on to harm more babies. He eventually demanded her removal from duty in June 2016, but hospital management initially refused.
The investigation by BBC Panorama and BBC News uncovered a series of troubling events, including hospital management demanding doctors apologize to Letby and attend mediation with her, even though they suspected her involvement in the baby deaths. Letby was eventually moved to the risk and patient safety office, where she had access to sensitive documents and close proximity to senior managers responsible for investigating her.
Additionally, the hospital's reporting of deaths was allegedly inadequate, preventing the high fatality rate from being noticed by the wider NHS system.
The concerns about Letby initially arose in the summer of 2015 when several unexpected baby deaths occurred while she was on duty. Dr. Brearey and his colleagues became increasingly worried about Letby's actions, including non-fatal collapses of babies that seemed to have no clinical explanation.
Despite these concerns, Letby continued to work until June 2016 when the deaths of two premature triplets became a tipping point. Dr. Brearey demanded her removal from duty, but she continued working for several more shifts before being taken off the neonatal unit.
The investigation suggests a failure on the part of the hospital to respond appropriately to the warnings and raises serious questions about how the hospital handled the situation.
In late June 2016, one of the consultants reportedly sent an email suggesting the need for an external investigation by the police.
Hospital managers allegedly failed to respond appropriately to concerns about nurse Lucy Letby, who was later convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital. The hospital's actions, or lack thereof, are under scrutiny.
Dr. Stephen Brearey, the lead consultant at the neonatal unit, raised concerns about Letby as early as October 2015, but no action was taken. It wasn't until June 2016, after additional baby deaths, that Dr. Brearey insisted on Letby's removal from duty.
Hospital management, however, reportedly resisted contacting the police, with medical director Ian Harvey stating, "All emails cease forthwith." Instead, they invited the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) to review the unit. The RCPCH's recommendations included a thorough external independent review of each unexpected neonatal death.
Letby was eventually arrested and suspended, but it took three years from the initial concerns for this to happen. During this time, Letby continued to work at the hospital.
Further revelations include that Letby had access to sensitive documents in the hospital's risk and patient safety office, raising concerns about her proximity to senior managers responsible for investigating her.
Hospital managers also ordered consultants to attend mediation sessions with Letby and insisted they apologize to her, which the consultants resisted. It was the consultants who ultimately pushed for police involvement, leading to the launch of Operation Hummingbird, a criminal investigation.
The hospital's failure to properly report the deaths meant that the high fatality rate was not detected by the wider NHS system. The hospital's board was reportedly unaware of the deaths until July 2016.
In 2018, new management discovered evidence of problems within the hospital's handling of the situation. Dr. Susan Gilby, who took over as chief executive, found files indicating that the deaths were not reported appropriately and that a planned external examination of the first three deaths had never occurred.
Dr. Gilby expressed concerns that the hospital's response was influenced by a desire to protect its reputation. She is now suing the trust for unfair dismissal.
Dr. Brearey and his colleagues felt their opinions were not given credibility, and they described the hospital's environment as secretive and judgmental.
Lucy Letby was ultimately charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder, and she was found guilty of seven murders and seven attempted murders. She was found not guilty on some counts and faced a hung jury on others.
The hospital is now under new management, and the neonatal unit no longer cares for critically ill infants. The current medical director, Dr. Nigel Scawn, emphasized that significant changes have been made since Letby worked there, and the hospital aims to provide confidence in the care it offers.