Three senior managers from the Countess of Chester Hospital, where neonatal nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies, have been arrested as part of a police investigation into manslaughter by “gross negligence.”
Cheshire Constabulary stated that the managers were part of the hospital’s senior leadership team between 2015 and 2016, during which time Ms. Letby committed her offenses. She was convicted in 2023 for murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others during that period.
Ms. Letby has been sentenced to life in prison but maintains her innocence. Her legal team has submitted an application for her convictions to be reviewed by Britain’s Criminal Cases Review Commission, which addresses potential miscarriages of justice; however, no timeline for this decision has been provided.
The police did not disclose the identities of the arrested managers, in line with internal guidelines and UK privacy laws. They were arrested on Monday on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and have since been released on bail as the investigation proceeds.
The offense pertains to deaths caused by negligence, applicable in instances of inadequate medical treatment. Cheshire police launched an investigation into corporate manslaughter at the hospital in October 2023, following the first of Ms. Letby’s two trials.
Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes, leading the investigation, noted that it focuses on senior leadership's decision-making to determine if any criminality occurred regarding the heightened mortality rates in the neonatal unit where Ms. Letby worked.
In March, the investigation, dubbed Operation Duet, expanded to include gross negligence manslaughter, which examines the actions or inactions of individuals. Mr. Hughes confirmed that this ongoing investigation “does not impact on the convictions of Lucy Letby.”
Additionally, there is a broader inquiry into both fatal and non-fatal incidents involving infants at the neonatal units of the Countess of Chester Hospital and the Liverpool Women’s Hospital from 2012 to 2016, which are located 17 miles apart.
The prosecution detailed that Ms. Letby, 35, inflicted harm on babies through various means, including injecting air, overfeeding, infusing air into their gastrointestinal tracts, and administering insulin. A jury at Manchester Crown Court found her guilty after a lengthy trial that concluded in August 2023, with a retrial held in June 2024 for unresolved charges.
During the trial, Ms. Letby’s defense argued that she was being unfairly blamed for systemic failures in care attributed to chronic understaffing. Since her convictions, numerous experts have raised concerns about the validity of the evidence leading to her conviction.
Concerns regarding nurse staffing levels at the Countess of Chester Hospital were previously highlighted by an official regulator in February 2016 and an independent report by the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health the same year.
A public inquiry into the hospital’s operations during Ms. Letby’s convictions, as well as staff behavior and management practices, is expected to release its findings early next year.