Letby complained doctors branded her 'angel of death', inquiry hears

Lucy Letby sent a 'melodramatic' letter to hospital doctors complaining they had wrongly branded her the 'angel of death' and 'orchestrated' her removal from the neo-natal unit.

The former nurse claimed she had suffered 'immense' damage and been left hurt, distressed and physically unwell by accusations she was harming babies. 

She also insisted she was 'completely innocent' and had nothing to do with the spike in unexpected deaths and collapses.

The letter was read to consultants at the Countess of Chester Hospital during a key 'emotional' meeting with senior managers in January 2017 – seven months after Letby had been removed from frontline nursing and into an administration role due to their suspicions.

The medics were told two separate reviews had found no-wrongdoing by Letby, who had won her grievance procedure against the hospital and would be reinstated to the unit. The consultants were also ordered to apologise to her for the upset they had caused.

Several of them have told the public inquiry they were left 'stunned' by the 'dictatorial' behaviour of chief executive Tony Chambers in the meeting, which lasted just 37 minutes. 

Read More

Doctor told to apologise to Lucy Letby after making 'murder' claim years before arrest, inquiry told

He and medical director Ian Harvey told the doctors, in no uncertain terms, that they were 'drawing a line under the Lucy issue' and they needed to accept it and move on.

In the letter, which was read out by Karen Rees, then director of nursing in the hospital's urgent care division, Letby wrote: 'My life was turned upside down and subsequently put on hold, when I was unexpectedly informed, in July 2016, that I was being redeployed from the unit following a period of annual leave.

'Members of your team have been heard to publicly make comments such as "angel of death", "murderer on the unit", "cold and calculated". 

'A member of the consultant team, when asked how they would feel if I were to kill myself or if something were to happen to my elderly parents, has been documented as replying "I do not care". No individual and certainly no parent should have to hear something as distressing as this.

'I am completely innocent of all verbal allegations made against me, which has been confirmed within my grievance report.

'The detrimental effect this has had on me, my family, and potentially my future is immense. Many months of worry, distress, secrecy and uncertainty has had a significant impact on my physical health, general wellbeing and self-confidence. 

'I am not the person I was before this began. It is only now that there is some light at the end of the tunnel that I feel as though I can start to try to become the person I was before.'

Although Letby described the seven months she had been away from the unit as 'very traumatic,' she said she was 'very passionate' about continuing her career at Chester, where she had trained as a nurse, and was determined to return to 'where I belong.'

Read More

Lucy Letby's colleagues were 'thinking the unthinkable' months into killing spree, inquiry hears

She also quoted from the conclusion of the employment grievance, which she lodged after she was moved off the neo-natal unit following the murder of two triplet brothers on consecutive shifts, which said: 'It is clearly evident from the witness statements that your movement from the unit was orchestrated by consultants with no hard evidence to support this action.'

Dr Sean Tighe, a consultant anaesthetist who was also the hospital's British Medical Association (BMA) union representative, was asked to attend the meeting as a witness. He told the inquiry he thought Letby's letter was 'completely inappropriate.'

'We had been told that the meeting was to explore the contents of the reports and explore the possibility, not to hear a 20-minute melodramatic dissertation from Letby herself,' he said.

Describing the behaviour of Mr Chambers and other senior managers at the meeting, he added: 'The tone was dictatorial, somewhat regimental, demanding that the board had made the decision, that this was final and that the paediatricians were to draw a line under the whole thing and were to accept Letby back to work and to apologise to her for the derogatory remarks.'

Dr Tighe also revealed that bosses were also considering moving Letby to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, in Liverpool.

'I was actually concerned that if that were to occur we still had a major responsibility to prevent that happening,' Dr Tighe said.

Alder Hey is one of Britain's largest children's hospitals, behind Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.

Earlier this week the inquiry heard that Letby lobbied a doctor, who she had become close to and who was working as a locum consultant at Alder Hey, to get her into the specialist hospital to watch operations and clinics.

Ms Rees sent a letter of approval to Alder Hey, which cleared Letby to visit, albeit the letter stipulated she was to have no patient contact and should be supervised at all times.

Between March and April 2017, while still working in the clerical role at the Countess, she took part in a multi-disciplinary team meeting on diabetes, a 'roadshow' on insulin – the substance she used to try to kill two babies – and an outpatient clinic with the married medic, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and is known as Dr U.

Prosecutors at Letby's trial, which heard that the pair exchanged thousands of Facebook messages, met up for meals and walks and went on a day trip to London together, described Dr U as Letby's boyfriend.

But she denied having an affair or being in love with him.

Letby, formerly of Hereford, is serving a whole life tariff after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more between June 2015 and June 2016.