Doctors were in fear of speaking out about child killer Lucy Letby!

 

Child Killer - Lucy Letby

The Francis Inquiry into the failings at the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust, published its report in February 2013. Among its recommendations, was that a professional "Duty of Candour", should be introduced for those working within the NHS. A statutory duty of candour was brought into law in 2014 for the NHS Trusts and 2015, for all other providers. This means that health and care professionals must tell the person (or, where appropriate, their advocate, carer or family), when something has gone wrong, apologise, offer an appropriate remedy or support to put matters right (if possible).

At the Countess of Chester Hospital, where Lucy Letby murdered seven babies and attempted to murder six others in a neonatal unit, paediatricians working at the hospital, who reported their concerns about Letby, to senior hospital managers, say they felt ignored, threatened, and that senior staff at the hospital were more concerned about preventing reputational damage to the hospital. The consultants were forced by hospital management to write a letter of apology to Letby.

A recent BBC Panorama program into the case, questioned how 33-year old Letby, had been able to murder and harm so many babies for so long. She deliberately injected babies with air, forced fed others milk, and poisoned two infants with insulin. On Monday, Letby was given multiple whole-life terms - one for each offence - and will never be released from prison. But there are fears that she may have killed other babies under her care at other hospitals where she worked. This is now being investigated by Cheshire Police.

Dr Naru Narayanan, the president of the doctors' union the Hospital Consultants and Specialist Association, told Sky News there should be "better protection for people who raise concerns." He added: "But we see time and again that people who do so face retribution, and they fear for their careers."

The government have already announced a public inquiry into the Letby case and there have been calls for senior hospital managers at the Countess of Chester Hospital, to be investigated by the police for corporate manslaughter. Dr Dewi Evans, a retired paediatrician who gave evidence in the Letby trial, said three of the murders, could have been prevented if hospital bosses had acted more urgently. He told the Observer newspaper, that the hospital bosses at the Countess of Chester, were "grossly negligent" and "grossly irresponsible", and that police should investigate them for criminal negligence.