Lucy Letby referred to as ‘Nurse Death’ two years before her arrest, inquiry told
Lucy Letby referred to as ‘Nurse Death’ two years before her arrest, inquiry told
Inquiry into Chester hospital’s neonatal unit also told inspectors ignored ‘serious patient safety concerns’
Junior doctors were referring to Lucy Letby as “Nurse Death” as early as 2016, two years before she was arrested, a public inquiry has heard.
Letby, 34, was sentenced to 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted across two trials of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others.
The inquiry led by Lady Justice Thirlwall at Liverpool town hall will examine events at the Countess of Chester hospital’s neonatal unit, where Letby was a nurse between 2015 and 2016. Letby was first arrested in 2018 and convicted in 2023 and 2024.
On Wednesday, the inquiry heard opening statements on behalf of the counsel to the inquiry delivered by Nicholas de la Poer KC.
In September 2016, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health was invited to conduct a review of the neonatal unit, during which it interviewed hospital staff including Ian Harvey, the then medical director, and Alison Kelly, the then director of nursing and quality.
De la Poer said Harvey was noted as saying in his interview: “… had to intervene with the neonatal lead as junior doctors had been referring to her as ‘Nurse Death’.” Harvey also said the “correlation of one nurse” was seen as an “elephant in the room” by paediatricians.
Earlier, De la Poer told the inquiry that Letby attempted to murder one child, referred to as Child K, while Care Quality Commission inspectors were conducting an inspection in the hospital. He said the CQC regulator “did not detect prior to or during the inspection the concerns on the neonatal unit”.
The CQC inspected the trust in February 2016, and during unannounced visits on 26 February and 4 March 2016. The inquiry heard that at least one doctor told an inspector “we have some serious patient safety concerns and don’t feel like we are being listened to” – but this was ignored and the inspectors left before there was time to expand upon concerns.
The inquiry heard that Letby launched a grievance procedure in September 2017 over her removal from duties amid concerns about high infant mortality, which was resolved in her favour several months later.
The counsel to the inquiry, Rachel Langdale KC, said a planned return to the neonatal unit was then only stopped by the “tenacious lobbying of the consultants”. “But for their determined approach, it appears likely that she would have been permitted to return to dealing with babies,” Langdale said.
The inquiry continues.
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