Key facts
- Dr. John Gibbs, a consultant paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital, described the Thirlwall Inquiry report on Lucy Letby as "grim reading."
- Gibbs stated he wished consultants had been "brave enough to follow our suspicions and escalate things to the police earlier."
- The inquiry found police should have been notified sooner and hospital managers dismissed consultants' concerns.
- Parents of the babies were "kept in the dark for years" about concerns their babies may have been harmed.
- Health Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans for live-streaming cameras on England's baby wards.
Dr. John Gibbs, a senior consultant paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital, has described the final report of the Thirlwall Inquiry into the actions of nurse Lucy Letby as "grim reading." Gibbs, who worked at the hospital during the period Letby committed her crimes between 2015 and 2016, expressed regret that he and his colleagues had not been "brave enough to follow our suspicions and escalate things to the police earlier."
The inquiry, launched after Letby's 2023 conviction for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, found that police should have been notified sooner and that hospital managers had repeatedly dismissed consultants' concerns. Gibbs accepted that consultants bore "collective" responsibility for some of the failings identified.
He acknowledged that hospital executives had multiple opportunities to intervene and potentially save lives, but stated that the atmosphere when dealing with managers in the 11 months before police involvement was "very difficult" and "very tense." Managers, he explained, "were determined to ensure that we accepted Lucy Letby had been wrongly suspected of doing any harm."
Gibbs also spoke of team failures, including a colleague missing the significance of blood test results suggesting a baby had been poisoned with insulin in August 2015. He emphasized that it was a collective failure as others on call had the opportunity to review the baby's notes.
Reflecting on the continuing support for Letby from some quarters, Gibbs found claims of her wrongful conviction "frustrating and difficult," particularly misinformation online. However, he acknowledged the importance of the Criminal Cases Review Commission examining the evidence due to the "calibre of some of the people who've raised concerns."
The Thirlwall report recommended urgent reforms for neonatal units, including CCTV for all cots and incubators, and restricting access to insulin. Following the report's publication, Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said officials would "urgently develop plans" to introduce live-streaming cameras on England's baby wards.