Thirlwall Inquiry: Coroner not told of Lucy Letby concerns

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An inquiry into the crimes of Lucy Letby has heard a coroner speak about how hospital bosses failed to inform him of suspicions about a staff member being involved in the deaths of babies. The inquiry was told that paediatricians had raised concerns about nurse Letby to senior managers at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2016, following the deaths of two triplet boys. Instead of calling the police, the hospital launched a series of medical reviews into the increased number of deaths on the neonatal unit.

The inquiry heard that a number of the baby deaths had already been referred to the coroner’s office by the time the hospital commissioned the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) to carry out an independent review. Alan Moore, then-assistant coroner for Cheshire, said he was not told about concerns that a nurse was responsible for the deaths. Moore said he believed his predecessor, Nicholas Rheinberg, would have contacted the police before the hospital’s medical director and director for corporate and legal services left the room, had they been informed of the concerns.

Moore added that the timely, accurate and truthful provision of information is fundamental to the coronial process. He said that healthcare professionals, clinicians, nurses and hospital staff, as well as trust management, must provide complete candour in the coronial process. A failure to disclose any information about a death that may have a material bearing on a coronial case, whether this is pending or has already gone through the process, is to mislead the court.

Letby, 34, from Hereford is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others. The inquiry, sitting at Liverpool Town Hall, is expected to sit until early 2025, with findings published by late autumn that year

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