An official inquiry into deaths at the Countess of Chester hospital has concluded that three babies may have survived and seven others could have been protected if hospital bosses and doctors had taken action over concerns about nurse Lucy Letby.
Lady Justice Thirlwall, who led the public inquiry, found a "complete failure" to protect babies on the neonatal unit at the north-west England hospital. She stated that two newborn twins would not have died and five other babies would not have been harmed if Letby had been removed from the unit sooner.
The inquiry also suggested that a third baby, a two-month-old girl, and two others who suffered unexplained collapses may have been protected if a doctor had detected an earlier insulin poisoning. One of these infants, now aged 11, sustained a lifelong brain injury and requires 24-hour care.
Letby, 36, is currently serving 15 whole-life prison terms for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of seven others at the hospital in the year to June 2016. She maintains her innocence and is challenging her convictions.
Lady Justice Thirlwall's 822-page report recommends significant changes to the NHS, including the installation of 24-hour cameras on every cot in neonatal units, and increased oversight from the Care Quality Commission. However, the inquiry chair expressed doubts that ministers would implement her recommendations, citing the abolition of NHS England and a lack of clarity on responsibility.