Dr John Gibbs, a consultant paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital, has reflected on the Thirlwall Inquiry report published earlier in the week, which examined systemic failures at the hospital during the period when nurse Lucy Letby killed seven babies and attempted to harm seven others on the neonatal unit. Gibbs stated that consultants must accept “collective” responsibility for some of the shortcomings identified in the 822-page inquiry document.
Gibbs acknowledged his own role in the failures, expressing regret that consultants did not follow their suspicions and escalate matters to law enforcement at an earlier stage. He stated that he shares responsibility for this inaction alongside his colleague consultants. The inquiry found that hospital executives repeatedly dismissed concerns raised by consultants and that police should have been notified sooner than they were. Gibbs agreed with the report’s conclusion that hospital leadership had multiple opportunities to intervene and potentially prevent additional deaths.
According to Gibbs, the period following Letby’s removal from clinical duties but before police involvement proved particularly challenging, with hospital managers creating a difficult atmosphere while insisting that Letby had been wrongly suspected. He also highlighted team failures in examining relevant diagnostic information, noting that multiple staff members had opportunities to review medical records over subsequent weeks but did not catch critical details.
The inquiry, led by Lady Justice Thirlwall, determined that a “complete failure to protect babies” occurred at the hospital. The report identified numerous missed opportunities for intervention, including a cluster of three infant deaths in June 2015. Parents were not informed for years about potential deliberate harm to their children, which Thirlwall described as “reprehensible.” Hospital management conducted internal mortality reviews in 2015 and 2016 but did not involve police until May 2017, more than a year before Letby’s arrest.
The inquiry recommended urgent reforms including CCTV installation at all cots and incubators and restricted access to insulin. The Criminal Cases Review Commission is currently examining Letby’s convictions. Gibbs noted that ongoing public support for Letby has been difficult to manage, though he emphasized the importance of the CCRC’s review given the professional standing of those questioning the conviction evidence.
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