Lucy Letby: NHS hospitals asked if CCTV has been fitted after nurse's murder spree

Hospitals across the country have been asked whether they have CCTV installed in neonatal wards, in the aftermath of Lucy Letby's abhorrent murder spree.

In August, Letby, 33, of Hereford, was sentenced to 14 whole life orders after she was convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others, with two attempts on one of her victims. The offences took place at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit, where Letby worked between June 2015 and June 2016 – when CCTV was not installed.

One of the country’s most senior judges, Lady Justice Thirlwall, is leading the inquiry into the events, with the public hearings scheduled to start in Chester in September 2024. On Wednesday, the Appeal Court judge said the query about CCTV – suggested by some of the parents of babies harmed by Letby – had been included in a wide-ranging and detailed questionnaire.

The form to be completed by both the medical director and a senior non-clinical manager asks whether there is CCTV on neonatal units and, if not, whether it has been contemplated. A short survey has also been sent to all neonatal midwives, doctors, nurses and managers to ask directly their views on the culture in their units.

Launching the inquiry website on Wednesday, the Appeal Court judge said: “We all know that there have been many inquiries into events in hospitals and other health care settings over the last 30 years. The case of Beverley Allitt who murdered babies at Grantham Hospital in the 1990s comes to mind. Everyone was determined that it would not happen again. It has happened again. This is utterly unacceptable.”

The inquiry will cover three broad areas - the experiences of the parents of Letby's victims, the conduct of those working at Countess of Chester Hospital and a focus on the wider NHS approach as a whole.

Lady Justice Thirlwall added: "No one can argue with the proposition that babies in neonatal units must be kept safe and well cared for. What is needed is the practical application of that proposition everywhere. In many units it will require profound changes in relationships and culture. This may not be easy to achieve but it is necessary and long overdue.

“Bringing about necessary change will require the co-operation and will of all those who are involved in and who are responsible for the babies in our neonatal units – from the ward to the boardroom."