NMC Acknowledges Failures in Letby Case and Proposes Safeguarding Reforms

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has acknowledged its shortcomings in handling concerns about former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, admitting that more could have been done and action should have been taken sooner. This came to light during the Thirlwall Inquiry, which is examining how Letby was able to murder seven babies and attempt to murder six others while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.

Failure to Act

Samantha Jones, a barrister representing the NMC, spoke during the inquiry, reflecting on the steps the regulator “could and should” have taken once it was made aware of concerns about Letby’s involvement in the high mortality rates at the hospital’s neonatal unit. Ms Jones admitted that there was a failure to act with sufficient urgency after the first concerns were raised by paediatric consultants and nursing director Alison Kelly in 2016, despite the severity of the situation.

The NMC was first alerted to concerns about Letby’s practice in July 2016, when Ms Kelly contacted its employer link service. However, the inquiry was told that Ms Kelly cited a lack of evidence to support concerns at the time. Ms Jones explained that the NMC was not provided with key information that would have prompted further investigation, such as earlier discussions within the trust about Letby’s potential involvement in the deaths. This lack of information and curiosity from the NMC led to a delay in referring Letby for investigation.

The NMC did not receive a fitness-to-practise referral until July 2018, following media reports of Letby’s arrest. Ms Jones acknowledged that the NMC should have been more proactive in seeking information from the trust and engaging with other regulatory bodies. The regulator also accepted that an interim suspension order, which was only applied in November 2020 after Letby was charged with murder, should have been issued earlier.

Improving Trust

On its website the NMC has proposed a series of reforms to improve its culture, training processes and regulatory oversight. In a statement on behalf of the NMC, Acting Chief Executive and Registrar Helen Herniman said “We are committed to improving trust and confidence in the NMC with both members of the public and our stakeholders. They need to see swift progress in the changes we’re embedding and that they are sustainable.” These changes include the creation of a safeguarding hub to ensure that all future referrals are viewed through a “safeguarding lens” and changes to the time it takes to make decisions about Fitness to Practice reviews. The NMC say these steps form part of a broader, multi-year culture transformation programme that seeks to address the failures identified in the Letby case and ensure more robust regulatory practices going forward.

You can read more from the NMC proposals here https://www.nmc.org.uk/news/news-and-updates/how-the-nmc-proposes-to-transform-its-culture-and-regulatory-performance/

And to read the full Thirlwall Inquiry, visit https://thirlwall.public-inquiry.uk/