Specialist doctor 'misled' by Letby NHS bosses

A specialist doctor said she felt "misled" after reviewing the deaths of babies who were later found to have been murdered by nurse Lucy Letby.

Consultant neonatologist Jane Hawdon was asked by the Countess of Chester Hospital to carry out a case note review for 17 babies - 13 of whom died and four who were described as suffering "near misses".

Dr Hawdon said she had not been made aware of any suspicions about a staff member when medical director Ian Harvey instructed her in September 2016.

She told the public inquiry into the circumstances around Letby's offending that she later felt she had not been "adequately briefed" about the cases.

Letby was moved from the hospital's neonatal unit to clerical duties in July 2016 after consultants raised concerns about her involvement in babies' unexplained deaths and collapses.

Under questioning from counsel to the inquiry, Rachel Langdale KC, Dr Hawdon said she suspected the hospital "didn't want to bias or influence my review".

"Had I been told there was a suspicion about a member of staff I would have had a much more detailed conversation with Mr Harvey as to whether it was appropriate for me to proceed, and on what basis," she said.

Dr Hawdon said further reviews would have been required into staffing and any issues of equipment failure or contamination of nutrition feeds.

She told Peter Skelton KC, representing some of the families of Letby's victims: "I can't say who misled me but I feel misled."

Dr Hawdon said she felt the only appropriate response to suspicions of deliberate harm would have been to go to the police or initiate safeguarding procedures "which amounted to the same thing".

Cheshire Police were not called in until 2017.

The public inquiry, led by senior judge Lady Justice Thirlwall, was told Dr Hawdon's case note review neither involved talking to any doctors who had treated the infants, nor their parents.

As a result, Dr Hawdon told the inquiry her review was "absolutely not be the level of forensic investigation that was needed".

Her report concluded that the deaths of four of Letby's victims - known as Child A, Child I, Child O and Child P - had been unexplained and unexpected.

She told the inquiry that if she had received more information about the circumstances of three other babies' collapses, she would have categorised the deaths of Child C, Child D and Child E as unexplained.

Letby, 34, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life sentences after being convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.

The inquiry, at Liverpool Town Hall, continues.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.

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