Neonatal Nurse Sentenced To Life Imprisonment For Murder And Attempted Murder Of Babies

A public inquiry is being held into the circumstances surrounding the crimes of former nurse Lucy Letby. 

Letby was convicted of the murder of seven babies and attempted murder of six others.  The crimes were committed while she worked as a neonatal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

After she was sentenced to life imprisonment, the Government announced a public inquiry examining the case’s wider circumstances, including the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s response to clinicians who raised the alarm and the conduct of the wider NHS and its regulators.

The inquiry will be led by court of appeal judge Lady Justice Thirlwall

The terms of reference of the Thirlwall Inquiry have today been announced.

Expert Opinion

“The effects of what happened at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Letby’s crimes continue to gravely impact those we represent, including families who’ve contacted us since the conclusion of the criminal trial.

“We’re pleased that the call for an investigation has been heard as it’s clear there are important concerns that need addressing as part of the inquiry.

“All our clients want is for no stone to be left unturned in fully establishing how Letby was able to commit the most heinous crimes.

“We welcome the terms of the investigation which will hopefully provide families with the answers they deserve, although our clients also hope that it will be possible to investigate the full extent of Letby’s unlawful activities.

“While nothing will ever make up for the losses suffered by the families, we’re determined to working with the inquiry to ensure it’s as effective as possible in producing robust recommendations to minimise the risk of similar events in the future.

“We continue to support our clients at this distressing time.” Tim Annett, Medical Negligence lawyer

The terms of reference cover three broad areas, as follows: 

• the experiences of the parents of the babies;
• the conduct of clinical and non-clinical staff and management, as well as governance and escalation processes in relation to concerns being raised about Lucy Letby and whether these structures contributed to the failure to protect babies from her;
• the effectiveness of governance, external scrutiny and professional regulation in keeping babies in hospital safe, including consideration of NHS culture

Find out more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling medical negligence cases