Lucy Letby latest: Some babies killed by former nurse could have been saved, inquiry finds, tell me about this news in (https://news.sky.com/story/lucy-letby-latest-inquiry-into-crimes-of-killer-nurse-to-publish-report-13585792)

The public inquiry led by Court of Appeal judge Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall into the crimes of former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby has published its findings, concluding that there was a “complete failure” to protect babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital and that several infants could have been saved if hospital leadership had acted sooner.Key findings and details from the report include:

• Preventable Deaths and Harm: The inquiry concluded that at least two newborn twin boys (known as babies O and P) would not have died in June 2016, and five other babies would not have been harmed, had Letby been removed from duty when senior managers were first alerted to concerns in October 2015. A third baby who died and two others who suffered collapses may also have been spared had earlier signs of insulin poisoning been properly recognized and acted upon. While the exact number of preventable casualties cannot be known with certainty, the inquiry determined that decisive, earlier intervention would have prevented multiple deaths and attacks.
• Complete Safeguarding Failure: Lady Justice Thirlwall highlighted a total breakdown in safeguarding at all levels of the hospital. Hospital leadership failed to grasp that safeguarding measures must be triggered immediately upon suspicion of deliberate harm by a staff member, rather than waiting for conclusive proof of guilt.
• Reputation Over Safety: The inquiry identified a deep divide between hospital leadership and frontline clinicians. When senior doctors raised concerns about Letby’s presence during sudden and unexplained collapses, hospital executives delayed, dismissed the warnings, and subjected doctors to a grievance process filed by Letby. The hospital took nearly two years from the initial spike in deaths to notify the police in April 2017, indicating that protecting the trust’s reputation was prioritized over patient safety.
• Families Kept in the Dark: The report condemned hospital leadership for keeping affected parents uninformed for years about the true circumstances and suspicions surrounding the deaths and injuries of their babies, describing the hospital’s conduct toward families as reprehensible.
• National Recommendations: The report outlines sweeping safety measures for the NHS, including:
  • A mandatory, nationwide NHS protocol requiring immediate safeguarding action whenever a healthcare worker is suspected of deliberate harm.
  • Installing continuous 24-hour video monitoring on all neonatal cots and incubators.
  • Fitting CCTV coverage and biometric access controls on hospital fridges and storage units containing insulin.
  • Mandatory board-level oversight and escalation pathways across NHS trusts to track sudden spikes or patterns in infant and child deaths.