Clinical Negligence: The Lucy Letby Case
Lucy Letby is now known as one of Britain’s most prolific child murderers following a recent trial in which she was convicted of the murder of seven babies, and the attempted murder of six others. These offences were carried out by Letby at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016, where she worked as a neonatal nurse.
The jury in her trial at Manchester Crown Court was unable to reach verdicts on six counts of attempted murder in relation to five other babies.
The Countess of Chester Hospital saw a significant rise in the number of babies suffering serious and unexpected collapse on their Neonatal Unit in 2015 and 2016. During the Trial, it was revealed that the Unit’s Head Consultant raised serious concerns about Letby in October 2015. These concerns were not acted upon and Letby remained working on the unit continuing with her actions against other vulnerable babies.
Letby was arrested at her home in July 2018 and subsequently charged. A Trial commenced on 18th August 2023 which resulted in a guilty verdict. She was sentenced on 21st August 2023.
The case has raised very serious concerns about the hospital’s failure in their duty of care to investigate the allegations raised about their employee and act appropriately sooner.
There will now be a Statutory Inquiry which will look at the circumstances surrounding the murders and attempted murders committed by Letby. The Statutory Inquiry will have legal powers to force witnesses, including former and current staff of the Countess of Chester Hospital Trust, to give evidence. In addition, the charity, AvMA, who campaign for patient safety and justice, have called for a wider review across the NHS into how such allegations are investigated.
Letby becomes only the third woman in UK history to be serving an actual whole-life sentence; the others being Rose West and Joanna Dennehy.
It can be very difficult to question medical professionals about treatment they are providing or have already provided to you. We trust medical professionals to care for us appropriately. Unfortunately, however, things do go wrong.
If you feel something is not right with the medical treatment you or a loved one has received and want to discuss it with our experienced Clinical Negligence Solicitors, we are here to help you. Our Solicitors have many years of experience successfully handling medical negligence claims for our clients.
If you would like further information about making a claim, please contact our friendly and experienced team on 01332 364436 or email m.evans@timms-law.com for a free initial discussion.
October 2023