CONCERNS have been raised by professionals about NHS culture following the sentencing of Hereford nurse Lucy Letby.

The nurse, who grew up and went to school in the city, carried out attacks on babies in the ward where she worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital despite apparent warnings being raised by senior doctors including Dr Stephen Brearey and Dr Ravi Jayaram.

Last Friday (August 18), Letby was found guilty of seven counts of murder and seven conunts of attempted murder. This afternoon, she was handed a whole life term for every offence commited. 

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Responding to the verdict, Professor Phil Banfield, British Medical Association Chair of Council, said: "These dreadful crimes have shocked the nation. That they could have happened within the NHS and in some cases after warnings were raised by consultant doctors must be a cause of the deepest concern and leads to hard questions being asked that demand answers about how this was possible.

“This case has brought to focus the adverse challenges and experiences that doctors, and other healthcare professionals, face when they identify and act on concerns about patient safety. We are committed to supporting doctors who bravely highlight when something is wrong and continue to support our members who were involved in giving evidence during this highly distressing case.

“It is of fundamental importance that doctors are able to speak out without fear of backlash and with the assurance that concerns will be investigated, promptly, thoroughly and without bias or preconceived assumptions, then escalated appropriately and acted upon especially when patient safety is or may be at risk.

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"Doctors have a professional obligation to report concerns and do so in the interests of patients and other colleagues, so that lives can be saved and positive changes can be made to prevent future harm.

“It is vital that any inquiry looks carefully at how concerns of the most senior doctors were handled and able to be dismissed, which perpetuated this horrific and catastrophic series of events.

“The BMA has been clear that the NHS and the whole healthcare system must have an open culture where doctors are listened to and can be confident in speaking out. We have long called for non-clinical managers in the NHS and other health service providers to be regulated, in line with the manner in which clinical staff are by professional bodies.

“Our thoughts go out to the families and staff involved in this heart-breaking case. We must now leave no stone unturned to make sure this can never happen again.”

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