‘I acted in good faith’ says Letby trust CEO

A former trust chief executive at the centre of the Lucy Letby scandal has defended his actions, stating both he and other executives were “acting in good faith”.

Tony Chambers, who led The Countess of Chester Foundation Trust from December 2012 until September 2018, spoke publicly for the first time since Letby’s conviction last year, giving evidence to the public inquiry into the events.

Neonatal nurse Letby was convicted last year of murdering seven babies, and attempting to murder seven more, from 2015-16, while working in the hospital.

Mr Chambers told the inquiry on Wednesday: “I stand by the decisions that we made. We were acting in good faith. I was acting in good faith. I listened to the doctors when they raised their concerns. I also listened to the nurses when they raised their support [for Letby].”

Since her conviction, Chester paediatricians have accused the executives of pushing back on concerns they raised, rather than taking them seriously. Part of their response was to commission several internal and external reviews.

Mr Chambers defended his actions. “I was being presented with things that, at times, felt quite binary. I never took a binary view. I listened to both. 

“Therefore, Letby was removed from frontline duties and therefore we also focused on the safety of the unit, redesignated [downgraded it so it did not take high-risk cases] and so forth, and all the inquiries that went through were done all in good faith.

“The biggest cause of unnatural, unexplained deaths in maternity and neonatal units is not deliberate harm, but failure in systems of care. There are many examples. The Kirkup report, the Ockenden report, many, many examples.”

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Source: HSJ, 27 November 2024