Relatives of Lucy Letby’s victims are calling for CCTV in neonatal units, tighter controls on insulin in hospitals and more protection for whistleblowers in the NHS, their lawyer has said ahead of a public inquiry starting next week.
The Thirlwall Inquiry, which begins on Tuesday, has been set up to investigate what happened at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where Letby worked. She was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others while working there as a neonatal nurse.
Advisers have repeatedly expressed concern that Letby was behind a series of unexplained deaths.
The investigation will focus on the experiences of the parents of Letby’s victims, the behaviour of hospital staff and whether suspicions should have been raised earlier, whether Letby should have been suspended earlier and whether the police should have been called in sooner.
The inquiry will examine the wider NHS culture and consider the effectiveness of its management and governance structures. The inquiry, chaired by senior Court of Appeal judge Lady Justice Thirlwall, is expected to last around four months, with a report due next year.
Tamlin Bolton of Switalskis Solicitors, which represents six of the affected families, said on Thursday the investigation was “vital”.
“Lucy Letby murdered and injured more children than any other serial killer,” Bolton said. “She had the longest criminal trial in England and Wales. How you can’t listen to the concerns that consultants in the neonatal unit raised, after that trial and that verdict, needs to be investigated and this is absolutely the forum to do that.”
She said the families were “looking for transparency, accountability and that there are recommendations … (so) that it doesn’t happen again in the future. Or that if it does happen, that there is a mechanism, a really robust system, so that people can raise concerns about staff members without having to worry about losing their jobs, that they won’t try to be silenced.”
She said families had made specific requests, including the installation of CCTV cameras in neonatal units and stricter monitoring in hospitals of the use of medicines and drugs that could be harmful to patients.
The previous administration announced it would be a statutory inquiry, meaning it has the power to compel witnesses to testify and order the release of documents. “It’s vital that it is (legal),” Bolton said. “It’s a very important decision because it compels witnesses to testify.”
Although the families involved have already gone through lengthy criminal proceedings, Bolton said they entered the investigation process with “hopeful” feelings.
She said they are “hopeful that the evidence provided will answer a lot of outstanding questions for them, that there will be some accountability at the end, that people will stand up and say, ‘I should have done this, I should have done this differently.'”
Bolton said speculation in the media and online about Letby’s conviction was having an impact on the families.
“Those who have seen the full evidence, the jurors and the appeals court, have all maintained her guilt, and anything beyond that, where you haven’t read, seen or heard all the evidence, is just speculation,” she said. “We would encourage people to look at the appeals court ruling and really think about it carefully.”