The ongoing Thirlwall Inquiry has revealed that nurse Lucy Letby gave a baby ten times the prescribed dose of morphine back in 2013, two years prior to her baby-killing spree. The mistake was quickly discovered and the baby suffered no ill-effects. However, Letby was unhappy at being told she could no longer administer controlled drugs at the Countess of Chester Hospital following the incident. Practice Development Nurse Yvonne Farmer testified that the error was a “very serious error”, and that Letby received additional training as a result.
The Thirlwall Inquiry is currently examining how Letby was able to kill and attack babies between June 2015 and June 2016. It was revealed that in another incident in April 2016, Letby gave antibiotics to a baby that had not been prescribed them. Letby wrote in an internal document reflecting on the incident that she felt the situation was unavoidable and that care was given “to the best of our ability”. However, Ms. Farmer disagreed, stating “no, if it’s not prescribed I don’t know why it was given”.
The inquiry also heard that a manager had apologised for saying in 2016 that she would be “delighted” to have Letby back on the ward after the nurse had been suspended from nursing duties. Yvonne Griffiths was deputy ward manager of the neonatal unit in 2015 and 2016. Letby was removed from clinical duties in July 2016 after consultants expressed concerns that she was harming babies. Richard Baker KC, who represents some of the families of the babies, asked Ms. Griffiths if she was really saying she would be happy to have someone back on the ward who might be a killer of babies. She replied: “I know it doesn’t sound wonderful. I didn’t mean it as in delighted and in hindsight, I’m sorry.”
Letby, of Hereford, was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, including one she tried to kill twice, and is serving 15 whole life prison sentences
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