UK inquiry faults hospital for not stopping baby-killer nurse

A British public inquiry found that three babies, including newborn twins, would likely have survived if Countess of Chester Hospital managers had removed nurse Lucy Letby from the ward sooner, after doctors first raised concerns nearly two years before police were contacted. Justice Kathryn Thirlwall described a “complete failure” by hospital leadership and said executives ran “an exercise in spin” to downplay rising infant deaths to their own board.

The three-volume, $25 million report drew on nearly 400 witnesses and made 14 recommendations, including cot-side monitors and cameras on insulin storage, with NHS England ordered to produce an implementation plan by March 2027. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was “profoundly sorry” for the failures.

Letby is serving 15 whole-life terms for murdering seven infants and attempting to kill an eighth, convictions upheld twice on appeal, though nearly 30 international medical experts have challenged the evidence and her case has been submitted to the body that reviews potential miscarriages of justice. Four former hospital staff members have been arrested in a separate ongoing police investigation into possible corporate manslaughter.

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