Lucy Letby inquiry given powers to compel NHS bosses to give evidence amid fears probe into serial killer nurse’s crimes would not go far enough
- The inquiry into the serial child killer has been upgraded to become statutory
The inquiry into serial child killer Lucy Letby’s crimes will become statutory, the Health Secretary has announced.
This means it will have powers to compel NHS bosses and staff, both former and current, accused of negligence to give evidence.
The decision comes after Letby, 33, was sentenced to a whole-life term for murdering seven babies and trying to kill six more at the the Countess of Chester Hospital Trust over a 13 month period.
It had previously announced a non-statutory inquiry but ministers have upgraded it following backlash from the victim’s families argued that an independent inquiry would not go far enough.
They said that hospital bosses accused of covering up Letby’s crimes could avoid questioning.
The inquiry into serial child killer Lucy Letby ‘s crimes will become statutory, the Health Secretary has announced
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he had listened to the families and believed a statutory inquiry was the best way to ‘respect the wishes’ of those affected
Letby, 33, was sentenced to a whole-life term for murdering seven babies and trying to kill six more at the the Countess of Chester Hospital Trust over a 13 month period.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he had listened to the families and believed a statutory inquiry was the best way to ‘respect the wishes’ of those affected.
He said: ‘The crimes committed by Lucy Letby are truly harrowing, and my thoughts remain with the families of her victims.
‘Following her conviction, we announced an inquiry and said the nature of this inquiry would be shaped by the families.
‘Having now discussed this with the families, we will launch a full statutory inquiry giving it the legal powers to compel witnesses to give evidence.
‘This statutory public inquiry will aim to give the families the answers they need and ensure lessons are learned.’
Mr Barclay added that while statutory inquiries can take longer to complete, it was what the families wanted.
‘There are advantages of having a non-statutory inquiry, particularly around getting answers quicker to families but it does not have the same powers in terms of compulsion,’ the Health Secretary told ITV.
‘Having discussed it with the families, there preference was having the inquiry on a statutory footing in order have those stronger powers of compulsion.’
Earlier today it was announced that judges will be given the powers to order offender to attend sentencing, under reforms in the wake of the Letby case
Dr Ravi Jayraram, one of the doctors who helped catch Letby by raising concerns to senior managers at the hospital welcomed the news but questioned why it had taken so long
Dr Stephen Brearey, lead consultant on the neonatal unit, raised concerns about Lucy Letby in October 2015
Between 2015 and 2016 when Letby murdered seven babies – and attempted to murder six more at the Countess of Chester Hospital – senior doctors raised concerns over behaviour.
But these concerns were repeatedly ignored by managers, it has been alleged, and some were even forced to apologies to Letby.
Evidence from the managers will now be at the heart of the inquiry. It will aim to examine the broader context of events at the Trust including handling of concerns and governance, alongside scrutinising the measures undertaken by both regulators and the wider NHS.
WHAT WAS LETBY CONVICTED OF?
Count 1 – Murder of Baby A on June 8, 2015 – GUILTY
Count 2 – Attempted murder of Baby B between the June 8, 2015 and June 11, 2015 – GUILTY
Count 3 – Murder of Baby C on June 14, 2015 – GUILTY
Count 4 – Murder of Baby D on June 22, 2015 – GUILTY
Count 5 – Murder of Baby E on August 4, 2015 – GUILTY
Count 6 – Attempted murder of Baby F on August 5, 2015 – GUILTY
Count 7 – Attempted murder of Baby G on September 7, 2015 – GUILTY
Count 8 – Attempted murder of Baby G on September 21, 2015 – GUILTY
Count 9 – Attempted murder of Baby G on September 21, 2015 – NOT GUILTY
Count 10 – Attempted murder of Baby H on September 26, 2015 – NOT GUILTY
Count 12 – Murder of Baby I on October 23, 2015 – GUILTY
Count 15 – Attempted murder of Baby L on April 9, 2016 – GUILTY
Count 16 – Attempted murder of Baby M on April 9, 2016 – GUILTY
Count 17 – Attempted murder of Baby N on June 3, 2016 – GUILTY
Count 20 – Murder of Baby O on June 23, 2016 – GUILTY
Count 21 – Murder of Baby P on June 24, 2016 – GUILTY
Dr Ravi Jayraram, one of the doctors who helped catch Letby by raising concerns to senior managers at the hospital told ITV News this evening: ‘I don’t understand why, right at the start, there was a rush to say it was going to be non-statutory.
‘I’m glad this is going to be a public inquiry because no stone will be left unturned and questions that need to be asked will be asked and the answers will be found – unlike in a non statutory inquiry where questions that will cause difficult or embarrassing answers won’t get asked.’
Dr Jayraram is a senior paediatrician at the trust and had joined other doctors in warning NHS bosses about the serial killer months before police were called in.
Following Letby’s sentencing he unleashed fury on hospital managers who he said ordered him and his colleagues to apologise to the killer nurse after they raised concerns about her conduct.
He previously told ITV that he had been left angry when bosses failed to apologise following the horrific police investigations into the babies deaths.
The children’s doctor added that he was ‘incensed’ by attempts from hospital managers to try and justify the extent of Letby’s depraved crimes.
Dr Jayraram said: ‘I think throughout this whole process there have been opportunities for those people who are at the top of the Countess of Chester to be able to put their hands up and admit that they got it wrong and apologise.
‘They could have done this very early on, the very moment that Operation Hummingbird was launched. They could have done it at the point that Lucy Letby was first arrested. They could have done this at the point she was first charged.
‘They could have done it as the trial progressed and more and more evidence came through. They certainly had a massive opportunity to do it on Friday when the verdicts were announced.
‘And part of being a professional is being able to admit you got it wrong, it’s about being able to admit, and have the balls to actually put your hands up and say “we made a terrible mistake, we can’t undo it, but we apologise”.’
Both Baby O, a triplet, and his brother, Baby P, were murdered after the ‘Gang of Four’ consultants raised their suspicions about the link between the nurse’s presence and the deaths they had already witnessed.
The unit’s lead consultant Stephen Brearey even went back to management in the hours after Baby P’s death on June 24, 2016, begging them to take Letby off the ward. They refused.
Following today’s announcement of the statutory inquiry, Richard Scorer, a lawyer representing two of the affected families said: ‘We welcome the Government’s announcement that the Lucy Letby inquiry will be upgraded to a statutory inquiry.
‘It is essential that the chair has the powers to compel witnesses to give evidence under oath, and to force disclosure of documents.
‘Without these powers, the inquiry would have been ineffectual and our clients would have been deprived of the answers they need and deserve.’
Specific details of the inquiry’s investigation will be outlined in the forthcoming publication of its term of reference.
The Government said it will look to appoint a judge to chair the inquiry, with the Health Secretary helping to identify a suitable candidate as soon as possible.
Mr Scorer added: ‘This inquiry is essential for the parents of Letby’s victims, but it is also important for all of us.
‘We all need to be sure that the NHS delivers the best possible care, that hospital management is accountable and responsive to concerns, and that whistleblowers are treated fairly.
‘We cannot let what occurred at the Countess of Chester Hospital to ever happen again. This inquiry must lay bare the facts of what happened but it must also be the start of much needed change’.
The U-turn on the inquiry comes just hours after the landmark announcement that judges will now have the powers to force criminals to attend court for sentencing.
It followed a huge public outrage that Letby had dodged her reckoning. Many other criminals have also shunned key hearings.
Rishi Sunak tweeted to confirm that the law is being changed so offenders can be forced to attend sentencings
Authorities will now be able to use ‘reasonable force’ to make those convicted to appear in court, to demonstrate to victims families and relatives that justice has been done.
Rishi Sunak, who met Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s mother in Downing Street earlier to pass on the news personally, said offenders will no longer be allowed to to take the ‘coward’s way out’.
The Ministry of Justice will introduce the legislation this Autumn, although it is not yet clear when it will take effect.
Speaking on a visit to a police station in London this afternoon, Mr Sunak said: ‘Like many, I was appalled that people who have committed awful crimes somehow are able to take the coward’s way out and not appear in court for their sentencing and to hear the impact that their crimes have had on the victim’s families.
‘I don’t think that’s right. There shouldn’t be an easy way out.
‘That’s why we’re going to change the law so that courts could compel these offenders to be present for their sentencing and to hear the impact that their actions have had, but also, if necessary, to use reasonable force to bring those people to court, and also to add time on to their sentence if they don’t appear.
‘I think that’s the right thing to do. People rightly expect criminals to face up to the consequences of their actions.’
The promised reforms – which the Mail has pushed for – will give custody officers the power to use ‘reasonable force’ to ensure those awaiting sentencing appear in the dock or via video link.
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