Lucy Letby's ex-boss admits 'I should've done better' with victims' parents

The ex-CEO of the hospital where Lucy Letby took the lives of seven infants has rejected accusations of engaging in "unacceptable conduct" to prevent doctors' worries about the nurse from being revealed.

Tony Chambers was still providing his testimony at the public inquiry examining how former nurse Lucy Letby, who is currently serving 15 life sentences for the murders of seven infants and the attempted murders of another seven, managed to commit her offenses at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Yesterday, Mr. Chambers expressed his regrets to the families impacted by Letby, acknowledging that his choice of words was "awkward" when he told the nurse that the hospital was "supporting" her.

Experienced doctors have stated during the Thirlwall Inquiry that they believed their worries about Letby intentionally harming infants were not given sufficient attention by the executives.

For a better video viewing experience, we recommend using the Chrome browser.

"I could have performed better."

On the second day of his testimony, Mr. Chambers refuted the claims that he had talked about the specifics of the case with a coworker while traveling on a public train.

He also rejected the idea that he talked about possibly damaging the careers of the consultants and reporting them to the General Medical Council if they didn't let go of their worries about Letby.

In his statement to the inquiry, he expressed, "I have always prioritized patient safety and the health of our staff."

For more details from Sky News: How the police apprehended Lucy Letby. Lucy Letby provided 'advice' on evading detection for murder - investigation.

Regarding the hospital's inability to be transparent with the parents, he stated, "I fully recognize that we didn't handle this properly. We could have improved our response, and we certainly should have. I personally could have done more."

Richard Baker KC, who is representing some of the families affected, inquired of Mr. Chambers whether the executives had taken the consultants' concerns about Letby seriously enough.

Mr. Chambers stated, "They were our specialists, our healthcare providers, and the individuals most familiar with these matters."

However, I believe that while they thought they were clearly expressing their ideas, the reality was that their message wasn't as straightforward as they believed. It was more subtle and implied.

"We realized we needed to investigate the underlying causes, as history has shown us that it's rarely just one thing," he explained, adding, "There are usually multiple factors at play."

Mr. Baker stated, "At every point, you tried to delay and prevent the police from being contacted or for this information to be revealed. In the end, you aimed to damage the careers of the consultants who brought this matter to your attention."

"That kind of behavior is completely unacceptable and not appropriate for a CEO in the NHS, wouldn't you agree?"

Mr. Chambers responded, "If that’s what I had actually done, then it would be true. However, I find that assertion completely unacceptable and I don't think it accurately reflects my behavior."

Letby has been sentenced to life in prison for offenses that took place between June 2015 and June 2016 during her time as a nurse in the neonatal department at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

The investigation led by Lady Justice Thirlwall is anticipated to gather testimonies until early next year, with a report set to be released the following autumn.