Lucy Letby Hospital Consultant's Statement on BBC Inquiry Report
BBC News reports that a senior doctor involved in the Lucy Letby case has shared his thoughts on the final inquiry report. Dr John Gibbs, a consultant paediatrician who worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital during the period of Letby's crimes (2015-2016), found the findings to be "grim reading."
"I wish we consultants had been brave enough to follow our suspicions and escalate things to the police earlier," Dr Gibbs expressed. He acknowledged collective responsibility for some of the report's identified failings.
The Thirlwall Inquiry, launched after Letby's conviction in 2023, concluded that there was a "complete failure to protect babies" on the neonatal unit. The report criticizes hospital managers for dismissing consultants' concerns and delays in notifying the police.
Dr Gibbs echoed these findings, stating: "I wasn't expecting it to be an easy read... I apologise to the families for [our] failure." He also acknowledged a tense atmosphere among staff after Letby was removed from the unit and before the police became involved.
The report highlights multiple missed opportunities by hospital executives to intervene and save baby lives, as well as a collective team failure regarding blood test results suggesting insulin poisoning in 2015.