She calls for a face-to-face apology from the hospital’s medical director over the concealment of information surrounding her son’s death

The mother of a baby boy murdered by Lucy Letby has demanded a direct, in-person apology from the medical director of the hospital where her son was killed. She claims that, despite serious concerns raised about Letby’s conduct, she was kept unaware of critical information related to her son’s death, even as the investigation into his case was underway.

Speaking at the public inquiry into Letby’s crimes, the mother revealed that she only learned of the nurse’s arrest in July 2018, years after her son’s death. She described how the first she knew of the connection between Letby and the deaths of several babies was when Cheshire Police contacted her in the early hours of the morning, shocking the family with the news.

Her son, known as Child C, died in June 2015, just days after another fatal incident on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Despite Letby’s involvement in multiple infant deaths, the hospital failed to inform the family of the mounting concerns about the nurse’s behaviour, leaving them to learn about the case through the media.

The mother said that years of anxiety and stress followed, compounded by the lack of transparency and the hospital’s efforts to downplay the situation. She recalled a meeting in February 2017, where the medical director Ian Harvey was aware of both concerns about Letby and a report that criticised the care of her son, but failed to disclose this information to her.

“I feel very strongly that we were being misled, kept in the dark,” she said, expressing her frustration with the hospital’s actions, which she believes added greatly to her family’s grief.

Throughout the inquiry, she has called for more transparency, a duty of candour for healthcare professionals, and greater accountability for NHS managers. Her hope is that lessons will be learned from this tragic case, ensuring better oversight and transparency in healthcare institutions moving forward.

The inquiry, which will continue until 2025, is expected to shed more light on the failures surrounding Letby’s actions, with its findings published later that year.