Letby hospital consultant says inquiry makes for grim reading
Dr. John Gibbs, a former consultant at the Countess of Chester Hospital, has expressed deep regret over the failure to stop nurse Lucy Letby's crimes earlier. The Thirlwall Inquiry report highlights systemic failures and a lack of accountability among hospital management and staff.
Why it matters
The case serves as a critical case study for medical oversight, whistleblowing protections, and the systemic failures that can occur within public healthcare institutions.
Figure caption, Watch: Former consultant hopes Letby inquiry recommendations will prevent deaths happening again
Special correspondent , Reporting from Liverpool Published 15 September 2026 Updated 8 hours ago One of the senior doctors who tried to raise concerns about Lucy Letby with hospital managers has told the BBC the final inquiry report makes for "grim reading".
Consultant paediatrician Dr John Gibbs worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital throughout the period in 2015 to 2016 when Letby murdered seven babies, and attempted to murder seven more, on the neonatal unit.
He said that he accepted that consultants must bear "collective" responsibility for some of the failings identified in the report.
"I wish we consultants had been brave enough to follow our suspicions and escalate things to the police earlier," he told the BBC.
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