NHS leaders misled board about serial killer nurse investigation

The former chair of the NHS trust where nurse Lucy Letby murdered seven babies says the board was misled by hospital executives. Letby worked at Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016. Sir Duncan Nichol said that in December 2016, the board was told that reviews found no criminal activity linked to any individual. But the doctor carrying out those reviews had not finished them yet. In January 2017, the chief executive told senior doctors there was no evidence against Letby and she would return to the neonatal unit. Doctors who raised concerns had called the pattern of deaths suspicious, but executives said it was coincidence. Several NHS staff at different hospitals who reported similar concerns about patient safety have since lost their jobs and are taking legal action.