Lucy Letby trial: Nurse moved to risk office after baby deaths, jury told

Nurse Lucy Letby was given a role in a hospital's risk and patient safety office after doctors raised concerns over her alleged involvement in baby deaths, a court has heard.

Senior doctors at the Countess of Chester Hospital requested Ms Letby be taken off front-line duties after the deaths of two triplets in June 2016.

Ms Letby has been accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others between 2015 and 2016.

The 33-year-old denies all charges.

Manchester Crown Court has previously heard that following the death of one of the babies, named as Child P for legal reasons, on 24 June 2016, senior paediatrician Dr Stephen Brearey told a hospital executive he was "not happy" with Ms Letby continuing to work on the neonatal unit.

Dr Brearey told the court that Karen Rees, the duty executive senior nurse, had informed him there was "no evidence" for his claims and Ms Letby, originally from Hereford, would be remaining in her role.

The day after Dr Brearey had his request refused, another baby, Child Q, collapsed and required resuscitation.

Prosecutors have alleged that on the morning of 25 June, Ms Letby injected air and fluid into the boy's stomach via a nasogastric tube in an attempt to kill him.

The court was told that in the weeks that followed Child Q's collapse, Ms Letby was taken off front-line duties and placed on a three-month "secondment" to the hospital's risk and patient safety office.

The jury heard she was also told that as part of a unit-wide review, she would be placed under "clinical supervision".

Eirian Powell, who was the neonatal manager, said in an email to all neonatal unit staff that the review and supervision was "not meant to be a blame or competency issue" but "a way forward to ensure our practice is safe".

In a message to a colleague, Ms Letby said she was "fuming" about being placed on secondment and commented that the email announcing the move "makes it sound like it's my choice".

In messages to another nursing colleague, Ms Letby said she had made a "timeline" of events on the unit, adding: "Hoping to get as much info together as possible - if they have nothing or minimal on me, they'll look silly, not me."

The court was also shown messages Ms Letby sent to a doctor after being told her shifts would be changing.

In the messages, she said she was having a "meltdown" and was "completely overwhelmed" with worry about why she was being moved.

The doctor attempted to reassure her and told her that in relation to the care of the triplets, she had done a "perfect job".

The court heard on 1 September, Ms Letby attended a meeting with a review panel and six days later, she registered a grievance procedure.

The court earlier heard how Ms Letby told police it was a "coincidence" that Child Q, her final alleged victim, collapsed while he was in her care.

Manchester Crown Court has heard how Child Q was "stable" on the evening before his collapse.

Jurors heard that the infant deteriorated and needed breathing support shortly after 09:00 on 25 June.

Prosecutor Nick Johnson KC, reading a summary of Ms Letby's police interview, said the nurse denied causing the boy any harm.

He said Ms Letby accepted that Child Q collapsed "within minutes of her leaving nursery two [but] she said he was stable when she left and [that she] wouldn't have left him if that was not the case".

Mr Johnson said she "denied deliberately leaving the room to blame other staff" for Child Q's collapse.

He said Ms Letby also denied injecting air or fluid into Child Q's NG tube and said it was a "coincidence he became unwell when she came on duty".

"She noted premature babies could deteriorate at any time," he added.

The trial continues.

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