Lucy Letby, the former nurse who was recently convicted of murdering and attempting to murder babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit, was referred to as “nurse death” by junior doctors as early as 2016. The public inquiry into her actions heard that concerns about Letby’s behavior were raised as early as 2016, but were not properly addressed by hospital management.
The inquiry also revealed that the hospital failed to properly investigate high mortality rates on the neonatal unit where Letby worked, characterizing concerns as a risk to reputation rather than a threat to patient safety. It was noted that Letby attempted to murder a child during an inspection by the Care Quality Commission, which failed to detect any issues with the unit.
The inquiry is now examining governance issues at the hospital, including how concerns about Letby and the mortality rate were handled by hospital committees and management. It was revealed that the hospital board did not escalate these issues for discussion, despite clear warning signs.
The inquiry also heard that Letby launched a grievance procedure in 2017 after being removed from her duties, but was allowed to return to work despite concerns. Only the determined lobbying of consultants prevented her from returning to work with infants.
The inquiry will continue to investigate the events leading up to Letby’s conviction and the failures in governance and oversight at the hospital. The inquiry is seeking to uncover the systemic issues that allowed Letby’s actions to go unchecked for several years.
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