Lucy Letby hospital ward manager 'drew up list of 15 reasons why baby killer nurse was innocent'

Documents released for the Thirlwall Inquiry, which is looking into however incidents could person been prevented, amusement that Eirian Powell, Letby’s boss, was unconvinced by allegations against the nurse

Lucy Letby's brag was unconvinced by the allegations that she was harming and murdering babies astatine the infirmary she worked in, caller tribunal documents person revealed.

Eirian Powell, a neonatal ward manager astatine the Countess of Chester hospital, drew up a database of 15 reasons wherefore Letby was not to blasted for the deaths and illness of babies. The documents were released arsenic portion of the Thirlwall Inquiry, which is examining however the incidents could person been prevented.

Powell was recovered to person circulated a papers entitled Neonatal Unit reappraisal 2015-2016, successful May 2016, which listed 15 reasons wherefore it was improbable that a subordinate of unit was sidesplitting babies connected the ward.

“There is nary grounds whatsoever against LL (Lucy Letby) different than coincidence,” she wrote. “LL works afloat clip and has the qualification successful speciality (QIS). She is truthful much apt to beryllium looking aft the sickest babe connected the unit, LL is besides disposable herself to enactment overtime erstwhile the acuity of the portion is implicit capacity.”

The manager past suggested that the spike successful deaths could successful immoderate cases beryllium accounted for by failings connected the unit, portion successful different cases wellness problems with the babies contributed to the deaths.

Powell argued that 2 infants were diagnosed with congenital pneumonia, 2 had necrotising enterocolitis – a unsafe gastrointestinal complication – and 1 mum had a maternal syndrome, portion different babe had sepsis.

“Some of the issues were related to midwifery problems,” she added. “The Cheshire and Mersey transport work person been progressive successful a fewer of these mortalities and they whitethorn person survived if the work was moving adequately.” She concluded: “Of each the station results determination was nary grounds of foul play.”

Ms Powell besides pointed retired that 2 different doctors, Dr John Gibbs and Dr Dave Harkness, were contiguous astatine a fig of the incidents.

Letby was convicted of sidesplitting 7 infants and attempting to execution different 7 astatine the Countess of Chester Hospital betwixt 2015 and 2016.

Since Letby's sentencing, a fig of experts - including scientists, statisticians, doctors and nurses - person travel guardant to question the reliability of the grounds that landed her successful jail. They person since questioned the grounds fixed to the jury, who were not told astir aggregate reviews done astatine the infirmary to get to the bottommost of the deaths.

These reviews pointed to overcrowding, sub-optimal care, understaffing and transportation issues. A papers released this week by the enquiry from the hospital's manager of firm and ineligible affairs, Stephen Cross, recovered that the constabulary were reluctantly contacted successful 2017.

“In our view, determination is nary grounds to warrant a transgression investigation,” helium wrote. “However, successful the tone of openness and transparency, the substance is being reported to the police, having respect to the information that a fig of advisor paediatricians are not satisfied with the precise thorough investigations and reviews undertaken.

“Twelve of the deaths person been taxable to post-mortem, but determination person been nary suspicious findings. A secondary reappraisal of 4 deaths, by pathologists astatine Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, did not rise immoderate concerns regarding unnatural causes of deaths.”

Dr Stephen Brearey, a paediatric advisor astatine the hospital, gave grounds astatine the enquiry this week and was asked astir Ms Powell’s database of reasons Letby was not to blame.

Dr Brearey, who was 1 of the archetypal doctors to rise concerns astir the caregiver and telephone for her removal, said helium felt Ms Powell had spoken astir areas of expertise that were beyond her training.

“Saying determination is nary grounds whatsoever different than coincidence overlooks the timing of the deaths and the sudden, unexpected quality of the deaths,” helium told the hearing. "The summation successful numbers supra thing we’d expected."

He went on: “The babies had congenital abnormalities but the constituent and the level of interest was that it wasn’t wide from the post-mortem results that those congenital abnormalities had led to the abrupt collapses.

“Dr Harkness and Dr Gibbs look to beryllium progressive successful galore mortalities. Well, they were progressive much than immoderate of the different doctors but it was inactive little than fractional of the episodes that Letby had been progressive with.”

The prosecution reason that Letby's condemnation came aft ample grounds from specialists, which the defence could person called rebuttal witnesses for, but chose not to.

The enquiry continues.