Lucy Letby: Doctors who raised alarm were accused of ‘harassing and victimising’ killer nurse, says ex-hospital boss
The former boss of the hospital where Lucy Letby killed seven babies says she fears it is “more likely than not” that failures of management to deal with complaints about the nurse led to lives being lost needlessly.
Dr Susan Gilby joined the Countess of Chester Hospital as medical director and deputy chief executive in August 2018, a few weeks after Letby was arrested.
Letby, 33, was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to kill six others at the hospital’s neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016. She will die in prison after being handed 14 whole-life orders.
Concerns about the serial killer were not addressed for months before she was finally taken off frontline duties and given a clerical role in June 2016.
Consultants who raised concerns about Letby as far back as 2015 have said babies could have been saved if hospital management had listened and acted sooner.
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Letby: Why were warnings ignored?
Both the neonatal unit head consultant, Dr Stephen Brearey, and another consultant Dr Ravi Jayaram have spoken of hospital executives’ reluctance to involve the police for fear of damaging the trust’s reputation. Officers were only contacted in 2017.
Speaking to Sky News, Dr Gilby said she commissioned a review and her “reflections on talking to the paediatricians, not just Steve and Ravi… and having looked at the evidence, is that there was certainly a possibility [that management failures to deal with complaints led to lives being needlessly lost]”.
She added: “But it needs to be an external and objective review, looking at all the evidence, and giving people the right of reply to that evidence, that will come to that conclusion, and not for individuals such as myself.
“From a personal point of view, and obviously speaking more as a mother than a doctor or a senior leader in the NHS, it’s my greatest fear and I think it’s more likely than not that that will turn out to be the case.
“I sincerely hope that it isn’t.”
Dr Gilby also said there should be a full public inquiry, as per some parents’ wishes, as a statutory inquiry “would have the powers to compel people to give evidence”.
Read more:
How police caught Lucy Letby
Inside killer nurse’s bedroom
The ‘average’ nurse who became serial killer
Dr Brearey first raised Letby’s association with an increase in baby collapses in June 2015.
He told The Guardian that deaths could arguably have been avoided from as early as February 2016 if executives had “responded appropriately” to an urgent meeting request from concerned doctors.
Dr Jayaram continued to express concerns to management as more sudden and unexpected collapses followed.
Read Sky News coverage of Lucy Letby here
Hospital staff ‘certain’ Letby would not be charged
Dr Gilby said that after she joined the hospital, there was “a very strongly held opinion, that appeared to me was held by everyone, that the police had made an error in arresting Letby”.
“They were certain there would be no charges,” she added. “And doctors who had persisted in raising concerns about Letby… were partly responsible for the arrest of a young woman who they had victimised and harassed over quite some time.
“I found that surprising because I knew that the police would have had substantial evidence that they would have wanted to put in front of her [Letby] if they seemed fit to make an arrest.”
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‘Lucy Letby has destroyed our lives’
Detectives are continuing to review the care of 4,000 babies admitted to hospital while Letby was working as a neonatal nurse.
The period covers her spell at the Countess of Chester from January 2012 to the end of June 2016, and includes two work placements at Liverpool Women’s Hospital in 2012 and 2015.
Dr Gilby said despite Letby’s convictions and the end of the criminal trial at Manchester Crown Court “we’re not quite at the point where we can really say there is closure”.
She added: “The parents and others have questions about the circumstances around the events on the unit and how the crimes were allowed to go on for so long. So there is still a long road ahead in terms of getting answers to those questions.”
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Dr Gilby resigned as chief executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in December 2022.
Jane Tomkinson, acting chief executive officer at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Following the trial of former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, the Trust welcomes the announcement of an independent inquiry by the Department of Health and Social Care.
“In addition, the trust will be supporting the ongoing investigation by Cheshire Police. Due to ongoing legal considerations, it would not be appropriate for the Trust to make any further comment at this time.”
UK
MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace steps down as Kirsty Wark among 13 who claim he made inappropriate sexual jokes
MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has stepped down over allegations he made a series of inappropriate sexual comments on a range of programmes over 17 years.
Broadcaster Kirsty Wark is among 13 people who have made claims, with Wallace being investigated by MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK.
In an interview with the BBC, the Newsnight presenter, who was a celebrity contestant on MasterChef in 2011, claimed Wallace used “sexualised language”.
“There were two occasions in particular where he used sexualised language in front of a number of people and it wasn’t as if it was anyone engaged with this,” Wark said.
“It was completely one-way traffic. I think people were uncomfortable and something that I really didn’t expect to happen.”
Sky News has contacted Wallace’s representative for comment.
Kirsty Wark. File pic: PA
‘Fully cooperating’
Banijay UK said the complaints were made to the BBC this week by “individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with Gregg Wallace on one of our shows”.
The company said the 60-year-old, who has been a co-presenter and judge of the popular cooking show since 2005, was “committed to fully cooperating throughout the process”.
“Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate,” the company said.
“While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process.
“Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.
“Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”
A BBC spokesman said: “We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them.
“We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
“Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.”
Previous investigation
Last month, Wallace responded to reports that a previous BBC review had found he could continue working at the corporation following reports of an alleged incident in 2018 when he appeared on Impossible Celebrities.
Wallace said those claims had been investigated “promptly” at the time and said he had not said “anything sexual” while appearing on the game show more than half a decade ago.
In an Instagram post following an article in The Sun newspaper, he wrote: “The story that’s hitting the newspapers was investigated promptly when it happened six years ago by the BBC.
“And the outcome of that was that I hadn’t said anything sexual. I’ll need to repeat this again. I didn’t say anything sexual.”
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Alongside MasterChef, Wallace presented Inside The Factory for BBC Two from 2015.
Wallace and Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2014. Pic: PA
Wallace has featured on various BBC shows over the years, including Saturday Kitchen, Eat Well For Less, Supermarket Secrets, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals, as well as being a Strictly Come Dancing contestant in 2014.
He was made an MBE for services to food and charity last year.
Recorded episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals featuring Wallace will be transmitted as planned, the PA news agency understands.
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