Former consultant calls Letby inquiry a grim account of missed warnings

Dr John Gibbs, who worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital during Lucy Letby’s crimes, says consultants should have escalated their suspicions to police sooner. He accepted collective responsibility for failings identified by the Thirlwall Inquiry and apologised to the affected families.

Former consultant paediatrician Dr John Gibbs has described the final report of the Thirlwall Inquiry into the Lucy Letby case as “grim reading”, telling the BBC that hospital consultants should have acted more decisively on their suspicions.

Gibbs worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital from 1994 until his retirement and was there during the 2015-16 period when Letby murdered seven babies and attempted to murder seven others on the neonatal unit. Letby is serving 15 whole-life terms and maintains her innocence. The Criminal Cases Review Commission is reviewing her convictions.

“I wish we consultants had been brave enough to follow our suspicions and escalate things to the police earlier,” Gibbs said. He added that he accepted responsibility alongside his colleagues, saying that if they had not gone to the police, he should have done so.

The inquiry’s 822-page report found a “complete failure to protect babies” and concluded that police should have been notified earlier. It also said hospital managers repeatedly dismissed concerns raised by consultants and identified several missed opportunities to intervene, including after three babies died in one cluster in June 2015.

Gibbs said managers had been determined to persuade staff that Letby had been wrongly suspected of harming babies. He described the 11 months between Letby’s removal from the neonatal unit and police involvement as tense and stressful. He also referred to a team failure involving blood-test results that suggested a baby had been poisoned with insulin: one doctor missed their significance, but other doctors had opportunities to review the notes.

“I feel we failed the babies and I apologise to the families for that,” Gibbs told the BBC. The inquiry found that parents were kept unaware for years that their babies might have been deliberately harmed, describing the lack of consideration shown to them as reprehensible.

The report called for reforms including CCTV for cots and incubators and tighter controls over insulin. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said officials would urgently develop plans for live-streaming cameras on England’s baby wards. Gibbs said he remained convinced Letby was guilty but supported the CCRC’s examination of the evidence, citing the calibre of some people who had raised concerns about the convictions.