Thirlwall inquiry has left biggest questions around the Letby case unanswered

The Thirlwall inquiry, established to examine events at the Countess of Chester hospital concerning Lucy Letby's crimes, has concluded without addressing significant concerns about her conviction. Despite pleas from experts and a report highlighting the legal system's reluctance to acknowledge miscarriages of justice, the inquiry's terms of reference, set by the then health secretary, assumed Letby's guilt. Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall's report focused on the hospital's management and their delays in reporting concerns to the police, concluding that babies could have been protected if action had been taken sooner. However, the inquiry did not investigate the possibility of a wrongful conviction, with Thirlwall stating it was not her role to review the court of appeal's decision. Experts, including neonatologists, had argued that the case involved vulnerable babies and poor care, not murder.

A public inquiry has blamed the Countess of Chester Hospital for a "complete failure at all levels" to protect newborns, following the conviction of former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others. The inquiry, led by Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall, found that errors were made by nurses, doctors, and managers, and that safeguarding procedures were not invoked. Hospital executives kept parents unaware of suspicions surrounding Letby while conducting internal reviews and shared medical files without parental consent, actions Thirlwall deemed "reprehensible." The inquiry has made 17 recommendations, including equipping incubators with webcams and installing CCTV over insulin refrigerators. Letby was sentenced to 15 life sentences.

An inquiry led by Lady Justice Thirlwall has concluded that three babies might have survived and seven others could have been protected if hospital management and doctors had acted sooner on concerns about nurse Lucy Letby. The inquiry found a "complete failure" to protect infants on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester hospital. Letby, convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, was linked to an unusual rise in deaths and incidents. Despite senior doctors' concerns, the inquiry found a prolonged delay in contacting police and that clinicians were investigated when raising alarms. The report recommends significant changes to NHS safeguarding, including 24-hour cameras on neonatal cots.

Two leading experts, chemical engineer Helen Shannon and bioengineering professor Geoff Chase, have withdrawn from Lucy Letby’s defence team. They cited concerns about the "scientific credibility" of some arguments being presented in her appeal against convictions for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester hospital. Shannon and Chase previously produced a report casting doubt on Letby's convictions for poisoning two babies with insulin, but stated that other arguments now being put forward were inconsistent with available evidence and physiology. They expressed ethical concerns about continuing association with scientifically inaccurate arguments, believing it put Letby's interests and the families at risk. Letby's barrister maintains that new expert evidence fundamentally undermines the scientific basis of the original trial's conclusions. The Criminal Cases Review Commission is currently considering a dossier of evidence submitted on Letby's behalf.