Lucy Letby's hospital chairman was head of NHS during Beverley Allitt murders
The chairman of Lucy Letby's hospital during her killing spree was also the head of the NHS at the time of the Beverley Allitt murders, it has emerged.
Sir Duncan Nichol was the chief executive of NHS England – the most senior position in the entire British healthcare system – from 1989 to 1994.
During that time, in 1991, paediatric nurse Allitt murdered four infants, attempted to murder three others, and caused grievous bodily harm to six more at a Lincolnshire hospital. A senior health source says it raises concerns about NHS leaders continuing in high positions even after major failings.
Allitt has been compared to the more recent killer Letby, who earlier this month was convicted of murdering seven babies and trying to kill six others while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit between 2015 and 2016.
Beverley Allitt was dubbed 'The Angel of Death' (PA)
She murdered four babies while employed as a paediatric nurse (REX/Shutterstock)Sir Duncan Nichol was elected chairman of the hospital in 2012 and led the trust during the time Letby was targeting the helpless infants, the Manchester Evening News reports. He retired from the NHS in 2019, a year after killer nurse Letby was arrested following a series of unexplained baby deaths on the neonatal unit where she worked.
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
He has since said the board were 'misled' about Letby, claiming the board had been 'told explicitly that there was no criminal activity pointing to any one individual' after reviews of the baby deaths were carried out in 2016. However, doctors have said they had been raising concerns about Letby's conduct and presence at each of the collapses and deaths throughout 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The horrendous case has drawn parallels with that of Allitt, who sent shockwaves through the nation in 1993 after she was convicted of killing four youngsters who were trusted in her case. Nicknamed the 'Angel of Death', Allitt, 49, became one of Britain's most notorious child killers whilst working as a paediatric nurse.
She was sentenced to 13 life sentences at Nottingham Crown Court for the four murders and she also attempted to kill three other children and caused grievous bodily harm to another six. Allitt was working at Grantham and Kesthevan Hospital in Lincolnshire when she carried out her murderous spree.
The then 22-year-old attacked 13 children over a period of 59 days in 1991 using methods that are disturbingly similar to those used by Lucy Letby. Allitt was found to be injecting children in her care with air as well as huge doses of insulin. She was convicted in 1993 and subsequently former judge the late Sir Cecil Clothier carried out a review into the circumstances surrounding the Allitt case in 1994.
Sir Duncan Nichol was asked by the Department of Health to contribute to the Clothier inquiry, examine the inquiry's findings, report back, and instruct district health authorities in conjunction with hospitals on what needed to change in the wake of Allitt's murders.
Sir Duncan Nichol was the head of NHS England between 1989 and 1994
Alison Kelly left her role as director of nursing at the Countess of Chester after allegations about Letby (Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust)One senior health source said Sir Duncan Nichol's career path has caused concern about the NHS reusing leaders after major failings within the service. "Whilst [Allitt] was many years ago, it's not something you would forget if you were working in the NHS at the time – where was the corporate organisational memory? It was an immediate parallel for me," they told the Manchester Evening News.
Nichol said in a statement to the BBC the board was 'misled' when the baby deaths at the Countess of Cheshire were being reviewed in 2016. He said: "I believe that the board was misled in December 2016 when it received a report on the outcome of the external, independent case reviews. We were told explicitly that there was no criminal activity pointing to any one individual, when in truth the investigating neonatologist had stated that she had not had the time to complete the necessary in-depth case reviews."
In response to Nichol’s statement, the hospital’s then chief executive, Tony Chambers, said 'what was shared with the board was honest and open and represented our best understanding of the outcome of the reviews at the time'.
The jury in Letby's case heard that hospital bosses ignored months of warnings about her from medical staff from as early as October 2015. In 2015 and 2016, there was a significant rise in the numbers of babies who suffered serious and unexpected collapses in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Lucy Letby will spend the rest of her life in prison (Cheshire Constabulary via Getty)
She was convicted of murdering seven babies (MEN MEDIA)Mr Chambers has said he first heard ‘serious concerns’ about the nurse in June 2016, a year after she was linked to a series of unusual infant deaths. It was not until July 2016 that Letby was moved off the neonatal unit as senior doctors demanded action following the deaths of two triplet brothers, whom she was found to have killed. Those two deaths took Letby’s killing spree to seven in a year - more than double the average number of deaths in a year on the neonatal unit.
Greggs, Costa & Pret coffees have 'huge differences in caffeine', says report
She struck mostly on night shifts when she was alone on the ward looking after sleeping babies at the Countess of Chester hospital. Two doctors started trying to find a cause for the mysterious collapses, and began connecting the dots after spotting that Letby had been on shift for each of the incidents.
However, after raising their concerns, Letby reportedly wrote a statement which was read out by her parents, John and Susan, to the hospital's then chief executive, Tony Chambers, claiming that she was being bullied and victimised on the neonatal unit. He was said to believe her claims and gave an apology, while the doctors would be "dealt with".
In a letter to Letby the paediatricians apologised, writing: "We are sorry for the stress and upset that you have experienced in the last year." Due to concerns about damaging its reputation, the hospital delayed calling police for months, while senior management took the nurse's side over that of doctors, according to the paper.
As well as being given an apology, Letby was even offered help with a master's degree and a placement at a top children's hospital - Alder Hey in Liverpool. Meanwhile, Dr Stephen Brearey and Ravi Jayaram, the two paediatricians who raised the alarm to management, were reportedly told that bringing in the police would lead to "blue tape everywhere and the end of the unit as well as the trust's reputation".
Concerns were raised about Letby years before her arrest (Pixel8000)
She refused to appear at her own sentencing (Julia Quenzler / SWNS)Countess CEO Tony Chambers resigned in September 2018 from his role as the chief executive of the hospital following Letby's arrest in July 2018. By December, he had already been given a director role at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, the Manchester Evening News exclusively revealed last week.
Mr Chambers said in a statement after Letby’s conviction: "All my thoughts are with the children at the heart of this case and their families and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time. I am truly sorry for what all the families have gone through. The crimes are appalling and I am deeply saddened by what has come to light.
"As chief executive, my focus was on the safety of the baby unit and the wellbeing of patients and staff. I was open and inclusive as I responded to information and guidance. There are always lessons to be learned and the best place for this to be achieved would be through an independent inquiry. I will co-operate fully and openly."
Another of Letby’s former bosses, Alison Kelly, left her role as director of nursing at the Countess of Chester after allegations were made to her about the killer nurse by concerned doctors. She went on to become the interim director of nursing at Salford Royal before becoming the director of nursing for Rochdale – a position she has now been suspended from in the wake of the Letby’s conviction.
Ms Kelly has previously said in the national press: "It is impossible to imagine the heartache suffered by the families involved and my thoughts are very much with them. These are truly terrible crimes and I am deeply sorry that this happened to them. We owe it to the babies and their families to learn lessons and I will fully co-operate with the independent inquiry announced."
An NHS England spokesperson said: "We welcome the independent inquiry announced by the Department of Health and Social Care into the events at the Countess of Chester and will cooperate fully to help ensure all lessons are learned. In light of information that has emerged during the trial of Lucy Letby, and the announcement of the independent inquiry, the Northern Care Alliance has suspended Alison Kelly."
NHS England and the Countess of Chester Hospital trust did not provide a comment on on Sir Duncan Nichol's coincidental positions when the Manchester Evening News asked for comment.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
