The senior judge appointed to investigate whether hospital staff could have protected the babies who were injured or murdered by the neonatal nurse Lucy Letby will announce more details of her inquiry today.
Lady Justice Thirlwall is expected to say
Letby was convicted in August of seven counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder (she had tried to murder one baby twice). The former nurse was given a whole-life order, meaning that she will never be released.
Thirlwall was appointed by the health secretary in September to conduct a statutory inquiry and the government announced its terms of reference last month.
Three broad areas will be investigated. In summary, the are:
How the parents of Letby’s victims and alleged victims were dealt with by the hospital.
The conduct of those working at the hospital.
Management and culture in the NHS.
Thirlwall will examine 30 detailed questions, most of which relate to the second issue. For example:
What concerns were raised about Letby’s conduct?
Should concerns have been raised earlier?
Should Letby have been suspended earlier?
Were whistleblowing procedures adequate?
Could security systems have prevented harm?
When did anybody first consider referring Letby to the police?
When were the police first called in?
What was the coroner told?
Did professional relationships at the hospital contribute to what happened?
Did the hospital’s culture, management and governance contribute to its failures?
How was Letby managed when concerns were first raised?
What happened to those who raised concerns?
However, public hearings dealing with the conduct of those working at the hospital — the second issue — may have to be deferred until the outstanding legal matters have been resolved.
Instead, the inquiry’s initial work will focus on understanding the experience of the families involved and on the effectiveness of NHS management, culture, governance and processes. It will also consider the external scrutiny and professional regulation that are meant to keep babies in hospital safe.
Thirlwall is expected to say that she wants this to be a searching and active inquiry that will recommend, at the earliest opportunity, meaningful improvements to neonatal care.
Update 1200: More details have been announced on the inquiry’s website.
A question, if I may: do judges engaged in such an enquiry take on additional work during its course?
Lady Justice Thirlwall strikes me as an excellent, cerebral and authoritative choice. Also if the questions in effect constitute her remit the inquiry should be enabled to be a genuine quest for the truth, however uncomfortable for various key players.
Let us most certainly hope so.