Politicians demand official probe into Lucy Letby’s reign of terror gets stronger powers to force hospital managers and others to appear with warning a weak investigation could fail to prevent future ‘depraved crimes’
Ministers are facing mounting pressure today to hand stronger powers to the official inquiry into Lucy Letby’s reign of terror, amid warnings it could fail to stop future child-killers.
Former ministers and experts are demanding that the investigation into the nurse’s sickening crimes is put on a statutory footing and led by a judge, with the power to force witnesses to appear and give evidence.
The trial of the NHS serial killer – who is expected to get a whole-life prison term today – heard that managers at the Countess of Chester Hospital had numerous opportunities to have her removed from the maternity unit but failed to act.
The government has set up an inquiry but wants it to have lesser powers, arguing that ‘speed is of the essence’ and a judge-led inquiry could be too slow.
However, former justice secretary Robert Buckland told the Times: ‘If we don’t get all the key witnesses giving evidence then we risk failing to learn the lessons of this tragic scandal and we won’t catch evil predators repeating her depraved crimes in the future.’
The trial of the NHS serial killer – who is expected to get a whole-life prison term today – heard that managers at the Countess of Chester Hospital had numerous opportunities to have her removed from the maternity unit but failed to act.
Former justice secretary Robert Buckland told the Times: ‘If we don’t get all the key witnesses giving evidence then we risk failing to learn the lessons of this tragic scandal and we won’t catch evil predators repeating her depraved crimes in the future.’
Letby, the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history, is expected to face the rest of her life behind bars when she is sentenced on Monday.
The nurse murdered seven babies and tried to kill six more while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit between 2015-2016.
She has joined the list of the UK’s most twisted child killers, including the Moors murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley and the so-called Angel of Death paediatric nurse Beverley Allitt.
Whole-life orders are the most severe punishment available in the UK criminal justice system, for those who commit the most serious crimes.
Top doctors have called for a clampdown on ‘unaccountable’ NHS bosses in the wake of the killing spree.
The British Medical Association, which speaks for doctors, has spearheaded calls for hospital executives to be held accountable to a regulator like the General Medical Council, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
The GMC, which keeps a register of doctors licenced to practice in the UK, has the power to strike off or restrict doctors found to have committed serious wrongdoing.
Prof Phil Banfield, who chairs the BMA’s UK council, told the Telegraph that doctors think there should be ‘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’.
Dr Kevin O’Kane, a consultant in acute internal medicine, said ‘there is no excuse for not bringing in professional regulation for NHS managers’.
Children’s Minister Claire Coutinho argued that speed is ‘of the essence’.
A senior NHS manager believed to have ignored warnings about Lucy Letby while she was director of nursing at the baby killer’s hospital has been suspended.
Alison Kelly was accused in court of failing to act even when doctors raised ‘serious concerns’ about the nurse during her time as director of nursing and quality at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
She is now a director of nursing at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust located in the Manchester area.
Politicians called for her position to be examined by ministers, according to a report by The Telegraph.
It emerged yesterday that Ms Kelly has now been suspended due to allegations that came to light during the court case.
Mr Buckland was joined in his criticism by crime experts and Labour shadow ministers.
Steve Brine, the Conservative chairman of the Health Committee expressed concern that the non-statutory independent inquiry will not have the power to compel witnesses, and could drag on for years and ‘disappear down a rabbit hole’, he told BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House.
And Samantha Dixon, Labour MP for Chester, said she wrote to Health Secretary Steve Barclay calling for a full independent and public inquiry as soon as Lucy Letby was found guilty.
‘I do have some concerns about the risks around a non-statutory inquiry in that people are not obliged to attend and to give evidence,’ she told BBC Breakfast.
‘A non-statutory inquiry almost relies on the goodwill of witnesses to attend. They are not obliged to attend, they’re not compelled to attend.’
But Children’s Minister Claire Coutinho argued that speed is ‘of the essence’.
Asked if it should become a statutory inquiry on Sky News, Claire Coutinho said: ‘Well, whenever something like this happens, there’s always a debate about whether it should be statutory or non-statutory. And there are different benefits to both.
‘As you say with a statutory inquiry, it means you can compel people to give evidence. With a non-statutory inquiry is often much quicker. I think, in this case, everyone wants to make sure that this will never ever happen again and I think speed is of the essence to make sure that expectant parents across the country can feel assured that they know that there are steps in place to make sure that this won’t happen again.
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