Doctor who raised concerns about Lucy Letby harming babies says he should have gone to police earlier
Dr Stephen Brearey, the former lead neonatal consultant at the Countess of Chester Hospital, says he should have contacted police earlier about his concerns that Lucy Letby was harming babies. Speaking after the Thirlwall Inquiry report, he said he had naively expected hospital managers to act on warnings and called for a cultural change in how NHS staff raise concerns.
The hospital conducted internal reviews after baby deaths rose in 2015 and 2016, but police were not called until May 2017. Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others. The inquiry found a failure to protect babies and made 17 recommendations, including CCTV for neonatal cots and incubators, tighter insulin controls and mandatory safeguarding training; Brearey also described the lack of psychological support for staff.
- Brearey says police should have been contacted sooner.
- Hospital reviews preceded the police investigation.
- Inquiry made 17 recommendations to improve neonatal safety.
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Lucy Letby was a nurse on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where premature and sick newborn babies receive specialist care. She was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, after a rise in deaths and serious incidents at the unit prompted scrutiny.
Dr Stephen Brearey led the hospital’s neonatal consultants and raised concerns about Letby with managers. The hospital carried out internal reviews, but police were not contacted until May 2017. The Thirlwall Inquiry examined how the hospital and other organisations responded to concerns and found that failures left babies unprotected.
The inquiry made 17 recommendations, including CCTV for neonatal cots and incubators, tighter controls on insulin and compulsory safeguarding training. Its findings matter to NHS staff and families because they address how concerns about patient safety are raised and acted on.