UK hospital directors' inaction to baby-killer nurse draws criticism
4 Min Read
An investigative report by The Guardian has revealed that Countess of Chester Hospital's directors have attempted to downplay Letby's involvement in the murder of 7 children to safeguard the institution's reputation.
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Countess of Chester Hospital, Medical Director, Nigel Scawn, delivers a statement to the media outside of the hospital, in Chester, northwest England on August 18, 2023. (AFP)
An investigation conducted by The Guardian regarding the handling of concerns surrounding nurse Lucy Letby's involvement in a series of baby deaths at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester hospital revealed that despite repeated alerts from both senior doctors and colleagues, Letby remained in her position until July 2016.
The nurse spent more than a year in the hospital after initial suspicions arose, the British newspaper said after a recent court ruling found Letby guilty of seven counts of baby murder and six counts of attempted murder.
The unfolding situation has prompted inquiries into the hospital administration's response to these concerns and whether swifter action could have averted further harm. Hospital executives are now facing scrutiny for their management of the circumstances.
In June 2016, as a formal review commenced into the escalating number of neonatal unit deaths, a hospital executive purportedly voiced apprehensions that involving law enforcement could tarnish the hospital's reputation and transform the unit into a crime scene.
Tony Chambers, the hospital's former chief executive, directed senior doctors to extend an apology letter to Letby in January 2017, citing two external assessments that executives believed exonerated Letby. However, these reviews did not specifically delve into her potential involvement in the fatalities and suggested additional investigations into certain cases.
Following Letby's removal from the unit in early 2017, her parents reportedly threatened to report doctors to the General Medical Council, The Guardian reported.
The court trial laid bare Letby's presence during several unexplained baby deaths and collapses across a brief time frame, raising suspicions among medical staff. Yet, according to the newspaper's investigation, the concerns encountered delayed action while consultants allegedly felt their apprehensions about patient safety were not being taken seriously by hospital management.
Parallel to this, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) voiced reservations about the hospital's response. During a planned inspection in February 2016, inspectors revealed that consultants had communicated their patient safety concerns to management, the CQC relayed these worries to the hospital's medical director, who did not take any action against Letby. One of the reports even called on the hospital's administration to commit to a forensic investigation, seeing that some of the cases' causes remained unclear.
The hospital's conduct throughout this ordeal has drawn sharp criticism, with allegations that executives prioritized the institution's reputation over addressing the potential menace posed by Letby. The ensuing delays in engaging law enforcement and executing exhaustive investigations have incited demands for an independent review of the hospital's actions and choices.
Dr. Nigel Scawn, the hospital's director, said, "Since Lucy Letby worked at our hospital, we have made significant changes to our services. I want to provide reassurance that every patient who accesses our services can have confidence in the care they will receive."
Its previous executive, Chambers, spent hours talking to Letby and her father, saying that she was innocent, according to Dr Steve Brearey and Dr John Gibbs two of the hospital's consultants that were ordered to apologize to the killer.
Gibbs told The Guardian, "To be told what the reviews showed without having seen them at all was a bit surprising, and then to be told we were to draw a line under the matter and that was it, and then to be instructed to send a letter of apology to Lucy Letby was just flabbergasting."
Read more: UK nurse convicted of murdering 7 vulnerable infants under her care
