09 November 2023 , 23:08
457
0
Newborn twins dodged being placed into the care of twisted killer Lucy Letby by a matter of days.
Dr Ravi Jayaram, consultant paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital, raised the alarm about the nurse but says he and colleagues were forced to apologise to the "upset" coward after they voiced their concerns. Letby was earlier this year convicted of murdering seven helpless babies and trying to kill six more.
He spoke about other very near misses with the monster during ITV's After Lucy Letby: Silence on the Wards tonight. During the half-hour long look at whistleblowing fears with the NHS, he said: "I saw a little boy recently who is coming up to seven. After the consultation, his mother gave me a thank you card.
Lucy Letby comforts a newborn as she poses as a poster girl for the Countess of Chester Hospital (Countess of Chester Hospital)
She was arrested two years after her crimes started to come to light (PA)"She said it was 'for you are your colleagues'. I was surprised. Then she said 'my twins were born prematurely in July 2016. If you have your colleagues hadn't have fought, they would have been in the neonatal and she could have been the nurse looking after them." She was right."
It was at that time the investigations begun before her arrest two years later. Letby’s victims included three sets of twins and two of three triplets. Letby will die behind bars after a judge sentenced her to 14 whole life orders - as the killer nurse cowered in her cell rather than face justice and the victims' families.
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
Her year-long murder spree began in June 2015 and she struck mostly on night shifts when she was alone on the ward looking after sleeping babies. Dr Jayaram first expressed concerns to management in 2015 when more sudden and unexpected collapses followed before police were contacted in 2017.
Dr Ravi Jayaram helped raise the alarm and one parent was very glad he did (ITV)Hospital executives are said to have warned them any allegations made to the police would result in “blue and white tape” in the wards. Dr Jayaram and another consultant Dr Stephen Brearey were told to enter mediation with Letby, and were also told her father had threatened to refer them to the General Medical Council unless the allegations against his daughter were withdrawn.
The threat led to a letter, seen by the Observer, which read: "Dear Lucy, we would like to apologise for any inappropriate comments that may have been made during this difficult period. We are very sorry for the stress and upset you have experienced in the last year. Please be reassured patient safety has been our absolute priority during this difficult time."
During the trial, Mr Jayaram had told proceedings: "As clinicians, we put our faith in the system, in senior management to escalate concerns and investigate them. The initial response was 'it's unlikely that anything is going on. We'll see what happens'."