Ombudsman writes to Health Secretary calling for statutory inquiry and action on patient safety in wake of Letby trial (PHSO, 23 August 2023)

Summary

In this letter, Rob Behrens, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, calls on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay MP, to prioritise improving patient safety in the wake of the Lucy Letby trial.

Content

On 18 August 2023, Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies and convicted of trying to kill six other infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

In this letter, the Ombudsman Rob Behrens calls for the proposed inquiry into the events at the Countess of Chester Hospital to have statutory status so that it has use of all the legal powers available to get to the truth of what happened. He also reiterates his calls for the recommendations from his recent report on patient safety, Broken trust: making patient safety more than just a promise, to be actioned with urgency. These are:

• A thorough review by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to scrutinise the lack of compliance with the Duty of Candour.
• The Department of Health and Social Care should commission an independent review of what an effective set of patient safety oversight bodies would look like.
• Conduct a thorough, independent review with cross-party support of NHS leadership, accountability and culture. This review should explore how leadership is accountable, can be regulated and held to the highest standards in the same way as clinicians.

Related reading:

• Lucy Letby verdict, a future inquiry and patient safety – A Patient Safety Learning blog
• Response to PHSO report – Broken trust: making patient safety more than just a promise (Patient Safety Learning, 3 July 2023)