Lucy Letby inquiry latest: Killer nurse ‘focussed on proving her innocence’ ahead of report into baby deaths

The Independent’s health editor Rebecca Thomas reports:

Lawyers representing several families say it’s vital the recommendations are implemented by the government.

Tamlin Bolton, the Irwin Mitchell lawyer representing several families, said: “While no system can guarantee the prevention of criminal acts by a determined individual, patients, families and clinicians are entitled to expect that their concerns will be listened to and that those concerns will be investigated properly and acted upon.

“The key questions are whether the systems, culture and governance within our NHS were sufficiently robust to identify risks and respond to them appropriately and where, in this instance, those systems have failed.

“With the families, we will consider Lady Justice Thirlwall’s findings carefully, but whatever the detail of the report, it is vital that lessons are learned and any recommendations are implemented by the UK government so that confidence in patient safety is strengthened.”

The Independent’s senior reporter Alex Ross writes:

At the outset of her inquiry, Lady Justice Thirwall made clear that its aim was not to review Lucy Letby’s conviction, but to look at the conduct of hospital management and the effectiveness of governance to keep babies safe.

It was held on the basis of Letby being guilty of the seven murders and seven attempted murders.

The findings, published today, will likely be critical of some of the actions of senior bosses, most of whom no longer working at the Countess of Chester hospital.

Letby’s lawyer Mark McDonald will be taking note of the report, but his main focus remains on the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which is looking at Letby’s convictions following an application the case gets referred back to the appeal courts.

Dame Vera Baird, who is chair of the CCRC, has said she will “be looking at the [Thirwall] report with interest to assess whether it has any bearing on our review of the case.”

Meanwhile, Mr McDonald has said Letby is completely focussed on proving her innocence as she and her team wait on the CCRC’s decision. No date has yet been signalled when this will come.

Serial child killer Lucy Letby will die in jail after she was handed 15 whole life orders for the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of seven others.

A whole life order means she will not be eligible for release unless there are exceptional compassionate grounds to warrant it.

You can read more about who else has been handed a whole life order below:

The Thirlwall Inquiry report will be published at 12:30pm on Tuesday, examining how killer nurse Lucy Letby was able to murder seven babies and attempt to murder seven others.

The inquiry set out its “terms of reference”, describing the scope of the inquiry. These include:

• The experiences of the Countess of Chester Hospital and other relevant NHS services, and of all the parents of the babies named in the indictment

• The conduct of those working at the Countess of Chester Hospital, including the board, managers, doctors, nurses and midwives with regard to the actions of Letby

• Whether suspicions should have been raised earlier, whether Letby should have been suspended earlier and whether the police and other external bodies should have been informed sooner of suspicions about her

• The responses to concerns raised about Letby from those with management responsibilities within the trust

• Whether the trust’s culture, management and governance structures and processes contributed to the failure to protect babies from Letby

• The effectiveness of NHS management and governance structures and processes, external scrutiny and professional regulation in keeping babies in hospital safe and well looked after, whether changes are necessary and, if so, what they should be, including how accountability of senior managers should be strengthened

The Independent’s senior reporter Alex Ross writes:

As we await the publication of the Thirwall Inquiry report at 12.30pm, we have spoken to one of those who will be paying close interest to its findings.

Mark McDonald, Lucy Letby’s lawyer who has applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) for her convictions to be reviewed, had asked for the inquiry to be paused for the outcome of the CCRC’s decision.

Asked what the public can take from today’s report, he told The Independent: “I have not had sight of the report, but have followed the Inquiry and can be clear it will be very critical of the hospital and managers.

“But if the whole inquiry operates on the wrong premise [of Letby’s guilt] then everything that follows it in error and undermined. The government must not implement any recommendation until the Court of Appeal have seen and heard the new evidence. It’s a shame the Inquiry did not engage with any of the evidence of innocence gathered in the last two years.”

Asked how Letby is feeling right now, he said: “Lucy is completely focussed on proving her innocence.”

Detectives have arrested a senior hospital boss on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in connection with the inquiry into killer nurse Lucy Letby.

Cheshire Constabulary said a search warrant was carried out at a property in April.

A person was arrested and later bailed, pending further inquiries.

In July 2025, three members of the leadership team at the hospital, who occupied senior positions between 2015 and 2016, were arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

It is understood that the suspect arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice was one of the three arrested last year.

Lucy Letby was sentenced to 14 whole life orders after she was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others.

She was then handed a 15th whole life order after she was found guilty of trying to kill a premature baby girl after a retrial.

A whole life order is the most severe prison term that can be given, and means she will never be considered for release unless there are exceptional compassionate grounds to warrant it.

The Thirlwall Inquiry is due to be published at 12:30pm on Tuesday.

It will examine how Letby was able to repeatedly kill and harm babies on a hospital neonatal unit in Chester between June 2015 and June 2016.