Former hospital chief executive told Lucy Letby ‘we’ve got your back’

A hospital CEO stated that he reassured Lucy Letby's father by saying, "We're here for you," in an effort to ease his anger over the decision to prevent his daughter from looking after infants.

Tony Chambers mentioned that Letby's father, John, was "holding a gun to my head" and demanded the immediate firing of two senior doctors who had expressed concerns about her possibly harming newborns.

Chambers explained to the Thirlwall inquiry that he attempted to ease the tension by assuring the nurse that multiple reviews had cleared her name, allowing her to go back to the neonatal unit.

The investigation revealed that he reassured Letby at the conclusion of a meeting in February 2017 by saying, "Lucy, don’t be concerned, we’re here to support you."

Chambers acknowledged that his wording was awkward and stated, “I've been clear from the start that my goal was to prevent any potential escalation. Looking back after eight years and considering what we now understand, it's clear that these are the types of mistakes we made.”

Now 34 years old, Letby has received 15 life sentences without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of killing seven infants and trying to kill another seven at the Countess of Chester Hospital from June 2015 to June 2016.

The investigation, headed by Lady Justice Thirlwall, is looking into the circumstances related to the increase in fatalities and incidents of people collapsing during that year. This trend first became noticeable after three unexpected deaths occurred within a two-week span in June 2015.

Chambers informed the investigation that Letby’s father, John, was extremely distressed and furious regarding the way he believed the hospital treated his daughter when she was taken off the neonatal unit in July 2016.

He stated, "Letby's father was extremely furious. He was issuing threats that could have escalated an already challenging situation, including threats about contacting the GMC (General Medical Council) and even making alarming comments about violence."

The ex-hospital manager informed Letby that he would arrange for several high-ranking doctors to express their apologies to her following her victory in an internal complaint procedure regarding her dismissal from the unit for premature infants.

Nicholas de la Poer KC, the lawyer for the inquiry, proposed that Letby was trying to seize control of events and was showing a “highly manipulative” side, aware that she had killed infants.

"I have to admit, at the time, I didn't sense that I was being controlled," Chambers stated. "It appeared to me that it was her father who was orchestrating things, rather than Letby."

Chambers started his testimony by expressing regret to the families of the victims, but he refuted any claims that he had tried to prevent the police from conducting an investigation.

The ex-hospital director admitted that he fully acknowledged the failures in the systems at Countess of Chester hospital and recognized that there were chances to intervene and prevent the nurse's actions earlier.

He hesitated to acknowledge his own errors, even after being asked six times to provide instances of his personal shortcomings.

Chambers expressed, "First and foremost, I want to extend my sincere sympathies to the families whose infants are the focus of this investigation. While I can only guess at the profound effect this situation has had on your lives, I am genuinely sorry for any suffering that may have been extended due to the choices or actions I made, believing they were right."

“I am truly thankful for the chance to participate openly and sincerely in this investigation, and I look forward to finding answers and making helpful recommendations.”

Chambers, who indicated that he learned about the deaths on June 29, 2016, stated in his testimony for the inquiry, "I completely acknowledge that the trust's systems did not work as they should have, and there were chances that were overlooked to recognize the situation sooner."

De la Poer noted that Chambers wasn’t pointing out any individual mistakes, leading the former hospital leader to acknowledge, “I completely accept that as the person in charge of the trust, I have to bear some of the responsibility for this.”

Chambers stated that he did not try to stop the police from starting a criminal investigation during a meeting between executives and high-ranking officers in March 2017.

The meeting notes indicate that the former CEO informed the police there was "no evidence apart from coincidence," and that the company's leaders felt the unaccounted deaths and collapses were "definitely not criminal in nature."

"What we meant to convey is that we are unable to locate any proof of illegal activity. Since you are the specialists in this area, we kindly ask for your assistance," he stated.

By May 2017, when this meeting took place, three independent assessments had not dismissed the possibility that Letby may have caused harm, whether intentionally or accidentally. Several senior doctors, along with Sian Williams, who was the deputy head of nursing at the time, were advocating for a police investigation.

De la Poer stated that Chambers did not provide the police with a comprehensive description of the accusations against Letby, which had been consistently brought up by pediatric specialists.

"I believe that's an unreasonable suggestion," Chambers responded. "We communicated with the police very honestly and transparently about what we truly thought was the situation as we perceived it at that moment."