Parents of babies attacked by Lucy Letby have told an inquiry they were given no information from the hospital about life-threatening incidents.
The Thirlwall Inquiry into events surrounding Letby’s year-long killing spree heard statements read out from the father of twins Child L and Child M, and the parents of Child N, that the information provided was "inadequate".
On Tuesday, September 24, Child L and M's father told the inquiry while he and the twins' mother had been among the first to see Child M's collapse in April 2016, they had no idea Child L had even been poorly with high insulin levels until police informed them years later.
The father said they were "not told of any concerns" for the twin baby boy by hospital staff, either at the time he was at the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital, or when the hospital subsequently carried out a review.
Juror's at Letby's 10-month trial found Letby guilty of attempting to murder Child L by poisoning him with insulin and attempting to murder twin brother Child M. The twins' mother had recalled Letby being present in the aftermath of Child M's collapse, the inquiry heard.
The father said "much" of what they heard at the criminal trial was new information to them, and had not thought there was anything unusual.
However, the father of Child N told the inquiry in his statement he did have suspicions that something "did not feel right" or "add up" with the care provided to the baby boy in June 2016, as there was a "conflict" in his medical notes.
He added the police investigation came as a "surprise", as he suspected the hospital had been trying to "cover up an error" and did not think anyone would have maliciously attempted to harm babies.
Child N's mother, in her statement, said it was a "shock and surreal" feeling when they were informed of the police investigation, and were "relieved" as it "felt like we were being listened to and we would finally get some answers".
Neither the father or mother had been made aware at the time that Child N had been attacked by Letby in the early hours of June 3, as a jury found her guilty of attempted murder. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on two other counts of attempted murder for Letby on Child N for events on June 15, 2016.
After Child N was transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital following collapses on June 15, a nurse told the parents there were "discrepancies" in the medical notes, but did not explain further, the inquiry heard.
Both parents were highly critical at learning doctors and nurses used their personal phones to be "gossiping" about babies and patients, in what the mother said was a "breach of confidential information" and for which the father said he was disappointed the hospital had not disciplined staff for doing this.
Since Letby's convictions, the mother had made a formal complaint about one of the doctors who had been messaging Letby, with the trial having been shown messages from personal phones, which had included the surname of Child N.
As well as asking for CCTV on wards and for hospital managers to be held accountable and face criminal action, the mother said staff needed to be "more professional" with texting, adding: "If they had paid more attention to the patients than gossiping, then things might have been different."
Letby, 34, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.
The inquiry is expected to sit until early next year, with findings published by late autumn 2025.
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