‘Your nursing team are fully behind you’: Senior hospital manager told Lucy Letby ‘hang in there, girl’ after she was accused of harming babies, public inquiry hears

A senior manager at the hospital where Lucy Letby killed babies sent her messages urging her to “hang in there, girl” after consultants accused her of harming patients.

Karen Rees admitted she got ‘too close’ to the nurse after being transferred from the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

The public inquiry was told that Ms Rees, director of emergency care nursing, supported Letby when she brought forward her complaint against the Trust, even telling bosses it was ‘immoral’ she had been taken off primary care .

In a text message sent in May 2017, almost a year after Letby was removed from the ward, Ms Rees wrote: ‘Hang in there girl…your nursing team is fully behind you. We will get through this, lol (much love) K.”

In another, sent on New Year’s Day 2018, she wished Letby a happy new year, adding: ‘Let’s hope you can end this year, I’m really proud of you and the professional way you’ve presented yourself throughout .’

Karen Rees admitted in inquest she got ‘too close’ to Letby after killer nurse was taken from neonatal unit

Ms Rees continued to contact Letby even after she was arrested by police, writing in December 2018: ‘Just to let you know we are constantly thinking of you, I hope you have a Merry Christmas with your family in this ongoing stressful time.”

When asked if she had gotten “too close” to Letby, Ms Rees admitted: “Yes, because I was tasked with meeting her almost every week for two years and witnessed her distress.”

She said Letby was “absolutely devastated” when she was placed in an administrative role and “kept crying”, which was “terrible” to see.

“I witnessed her and she was absolutely devastated,” Ms Rees said. ‘She kept crying and asking, ‘Why are they doing this to me, I have done nothing wrong, I will not be chased away from a job I love.’

‘I imagine that went on for months, while she was upset… I remember looking at her and thinking, ‘This is terrible’.’

While she said she appreciated the enormity of the allegations, witnessing Letby’s “anxiety” week in and week out was difficult, Ms Rees added.

The inquest was shown the minutes of a meeting that took place between Mrs Rees, hospital director Tony Chambers, Letby and her parents, John and Sue, after she won her complaint.

Letby told senior managers that she “expected” four of the consultants to apologize to her.

Her parents also said they would “seek advice” if their daughter’s name were leaked to the press.

Rachel Langdale KC, counsel to the inquiry, asked: ‘Whose needs were paramount at this meeting?’

Mrs Rees replied: ‘It’s clearly from Lucy Letby and her parents.’

Mrs Langdale added: ‘Nothing is said at all about the safety of the babies at that meeting, is there?’

“No,” she replied.

Letby told senior managers she ‘expected’ four consultants accused of harming patients to apologize to her

An aerial view of the Countess of Chester Hospital. Letby murdered seven babies and attempted to kill another seven over thirteen months in the hospital

Letby, 34, murdered seven babies and tried to kill seven more during a 13-month hospital killing spree between June 2015 and June 2016. She is serving a life sentence and will die in prison.

Yesterday it emerged that babies suffered potentially life-threatening incidents during almost a third of the 33 shifts Letby worked during two separate student placements at Liverpool Women’s Hospital in 2012 and 2015.

According to the BBC’s Panorama, in one case from November 2012, a little boy in Letby’s care collapsed and water was later discovered in his breathing tube, which experts say is highly irregular.

The investigation has already found that babies’ breathing tubes came loose during 40 percent of Letby’s shifts at Liverpool hospital. The average for such displacements is one percent, said Richard Baker KC, representing the families.

Letby was convicted of attempting to kill two baby boys with insulin, eight months apart, in August 2015 and April 2016. But Dr Dewi Evans, the prosecution’s expert witness, previously told the Mail that in a third child turned out to be a very high disease. amount of insulin in his blood, in November 2015.