Letby in Liverpool: Attention turns to her time at the Women’s Hospital
Letby in Liverpool: Attention turns to her time at the Women’s Hospital
‘We would be foolish if we were to think we have gathered all the cases that Lucy Letby could have touched’
Dear readers — we’re back! Our brief summer publishing break is over, Abi is back from holidays and we’re chomping at the bit like a horse at Aintree after several entirely predictable activist-enforced delays.
We have a superb menu of stories cooked up for you in the coming weeks — including beautiful cultural pieces, hard-hitting investigations and every other variety of high-quality local journalism you could possibly ask for.
Coming up tomorrow morning, we have a fantastic piece on the 1959 slice-of-life documentary Morning in the Streets. It’s written by our wonderful editor Sophie Atkinson, so you can guarantee it’ll be a gorgeous read. Then, on Thursday, Jack explores the campaign to save Rimrose Valley in Sefton, where residents are fighting back against plans to drive a £250-million road through the valley. We can’t wait to see your comments on both.
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In today’s edition: The case of nurse Lucy Letby has shocked the nation and dominated the news all weekend. An inquiry has now been launched into why it took so long to apprehend Letby, despite concerns being raised about her conduct by colleagues countless times. Now, police say they are reviewing her time working in Liverpool — more on that below.
Elsewhere, we have a thrilling tale of a Liverpool-born alpinist that was lost in history, and a rather enticing wine tasting session at Duke Street Market.
This week’s weather
Tuesday 🌧️ Light rain and a moderate breeze with highs of 21°C
Wednesday 🌧️ Drizzle and a light breeze with highs of 20°C
Thursday 🌧️ Light rain and a moderate breeze with highs of 17°C
Friday 🌦️ Light rain and a moderate breeze with highs of 17°C
Weekend 🌦️ Light rain showers and a moderate breeze with highs of 17°C
This week’s weather forecast is sourced from BBC Weather and it’s for Liverpool.
Open Newsroom
We’re working on a story about the spike in knife crime in Liverpool after nine people were stabbed in just five days. We want to speak to people who have been affected by knife crime in the city or who have some insight into the figures. As always we will speak to people off the record in the first instance, and we will treat your information with confidence and sensitivity. Email abi@livpost.co.uk.
We also want to speak to Merseyside rappers about a lack of hip-hop and RnB artists in the region. Again, please email Abi.
The big story: Police will examine Letby’s time in Liverpool
Top line: An inquiry has been launched following the murder conviction of Lucy Letby — as police now review her placements at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
Context: The 33-year-old neonatal nurse has today been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, as well as the attempted murder of a further six between June 2015 and June 2016. She refused to attend her sentencing hearing, with the judge ordering that all victim impact statements should instead be sent to her in prison.
In one statement read out in court, the mother of a baby Letby was convicted of murdering said her refusal to attend was “one final act of wickedness”. “Even in these final days of the trial she has tried to control things,” she continued. “The disrespect she has shown the families and the court show what type of person she is.”
An independent inquiry has now been launched by the Department of Health to establish exactly how Letby stayed below the radar for so long, and investigate what actions should now be taken by the NHS to prevent something similar happening again.
Hospital failures: In an interview with ITV, consultant paediatrician Dr Ravi Jayaram has revealed that he — along with several other colleagues — was forced to write a letter of apology to Letby after suggesting she might be involved with the deaths. When some of the doctors suggested they would instead go to the police, hospital management are alleged to have told them not to because it would damage the reputation of the hospital.
Chester Police have said they are continuing to review the care of all the babies admitted to the Countess of Chester Hospital while Letby was working, as well as her work placements at the Liverpool Women's Hospital. On the ongoing investigation, detective superintendent Paul Hughes said: "We would be foolish if we were to think we have gathered all cases that Lucy Letby could have touched in one go. So we are committed to doing an overarching investigation looking at every single baby's admission into the neonatal unit for the entire footprint that Lucy Letby has been employed."
On Friday, Liverpool Women’s Hospital said in a statement posted online:
As detailed in news reports and information provided by Cheshire Police, there is an ongoing investigation relating to the full period of Lucy Letby’s career, including training placements at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, which took place between October – December 2012 and January – February 2015. Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust has been liaising with Cheshire Police throughout this investigation and we will continue to do so going forward. As this is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide any more information at this time. Any further details will be shared by Cheshire Police in due course… If any parents, families, or carers need support, advice or reassurance about the care provided to babies on the Neonatal Unit at Liverpool Women's during the above periods of time, please get in touch with our Patient Experience Team in the first instance by emailing pals@lwh.nhs.uk or call 0151 702 4353 to provide your contact details and a member of our team will get back in touch with you.
The inquiry launched by the Department of Health aims to provide answers to the parents of the babies Letby murdered or injured, and ensure that lessons are learnt. “I am determined their voices are heard, and they are involved in shaping the scope of the inquiry should they wish to do so,” says health secretary Steve Barclay. “It will help us identify where and how patient safety standards failed to be met and ensure mothers and their partners rightly have faith in our healthcare system.”
Your Post briefing
Liverpudlian athletics star Katarina Johnson-Thompson has been crowned heptathlon world champion after securing a gold medal in the World Athletics Championship in Budapest. She racked up 6740 points across the seven disciplines, as a second place finish in Sunday’s climactic 800m saw her clinch victory ahead of Anna Hall of the USA. The victory saw KJT retain the title that she first won in Doha four years ago. Wavertree-born KJT suffered an injury-ravaged 2022, which forced her to pull out of the 2022 Olympic Games in Tokyo mid-event, but her surprise World Championship victory represents a stunning true return to form.
The red and blue sides of Liverpool have come together to pay tribute to construction worker Michael Jones, who died after sustaining injuries working on the new Everton stadium on Bramley Moore Dock. Everton players and manager Sean Dyche wore black armbands to pay their respects to him during this weekend’s fixture against Aston Villa, and Villa fans joined in a round of applause for Jones in the 26th minute of the match. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp led tributes from the red side of the city, laying a wreath and leading his playing squad in observing a minute’s silence at the site on Saturday morning.
A walk of remembrance is set to take place in Liverpool this Wednesday to mark Slavery Remembrance Day. Organised by National Museums Liverpool, the walk will represent a key moment in a wider series of art, talks and events lasting the entire week.
Home of the week
This two bedroom flat in Aigburth is on the market for £245,000. It has a fantastic shared outdoor area and plenty of natural light. Take a tour here.
Post Picks
📕Give Poetry A Chance, The Jacaranda: Give Poetry A Chance is a monthly initiative through which local poets can showcase their work and inspire others. Support Liverpool-based talent at the Jacaranda on Tuesday from 7pm. Tickets are free but limited by number, reserve your spot here.
🍷Wine Tasting, Duke Street Market - 'Travel Italy': Take the opportunity to sample and enjoy a variety of Italian wines at Duke Street Market this Wednesday. Perfect both for beginners and those with a more discerning palate. Tickets are available at £20 per person, buy them here.
🎹Yann Tiersen, 24 Kitchen Street: Celebrated French musician and composer Yann Tiersen heads to 24 Kitchen Street this Tuesday for the Liverpool date of his summer tour. The event is 18+ with tickets available here.
🎙️In Conversation with Dr Ben Cave and Kerry Daynes: Hear from Dr Ben Cave this Thursday ahead of the paperback release of his book What We Fear Most: Reflections On A Life In Forensic Psychology. He’ll be in conversation with forensic psychologist and best-selling author of The Dark Side Of The Mind and What Lies Buried, Kerry Daynes. Tickets are £5 and available here.
Our favourite reads
Here’s one from the archives — the thrilling tale of Lucy Walker: one of the first women to climb the Matterhorn and the Eiger, and who just so happened to hail all the way from Liverpool. In this piece, Kate Silber describes how Walker defied gender norms rigidly set in the Victorian period, trading her billowing skirts for climbing gear. “While climbing, Walker would walk out of villages looking every bit the proper lady and then stash her petticoat behind a rock,” Silber writes. “Like a chameleon, she transformed from an elite athlete in the Alps to a prim Victorian Englishwoman.”
The BBC’s health correspondent Gill Dummigan explores the failings of the NHS and health officials in the case of Beverley Allitt: a paediatric nurse who was convicted of killing four children at a hospital in Lincolnshire nearly 25 years ago. The piece looks at the parallels between Allitt and neonatal nurse Lucy Letby — including how colleagues who reported their concerns about both women were ignored by hospital management. It makes for grim reading, and prompts many questions over what, if anything, has been learnt since those tragic deaths in the East Midlands over two decades ago.
Letters from readers
“Interesting and well balanced article on a tricky subject! I fall very much on the side of wanting to be inclusive to trans people but I also think, it feels soooo hard at the moment to even begin to combat the anti-trans sentiment that is so rife in our society, so sometimes in wanting to be allies, we can just get totally caught up in storming in, wanting to eradicate anything that seems in any way related. But clearly this just ends up pushing people further away from the cause we want to promote. It would be great if sensible and reasoned debates could be had between both sides but I think in reality the subject is just too emotive,” ‘Tinker Tailor Teacher Spy’, Lucy H
“It seems that the crisis in the legal system is similar to the one in mental health. CPN’s are more frequently either on long-term sick or leaving the profession, so that Community Mental Health clinics sometimes cannot be staffed at all (and there is some evidence that this seems to be happening all around the country),” ‘You’re accused of a crime, arrested. Just one problem: there’s no lawyer to help you’, Anne Farrall
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The downside of Liverpool Women’s Hospital being the busiest maternity hospital in the country meant it was likely Letby would have spent an element of time there. Hopefully her short stints in a new environment prevented her from anything monstrous.
Good god, a walk of remembrance!! What next, they'll have us crawling on our knees and whipping the flesh from our backs in penitence. Maybe we should start apologising to the Normans for resisting Williams forces at Hastings.