Coroner not told of Letby concerns, inquiry hears

A coroner said infirmary bosses ne'er told him of suspicions that a subordinate of unit whitethorn beryllium liable for a fig of babe deaths, an enquiry into the crimes of Lucy Letby has heard.

Consultant paediatricians raised concerns astir caregiver Letby to elder managers astatine the Countess of Chester Hospital successful precocious June 2016 pursuing the deaths of 2 triplet boys connected successive days.

The infirmary opted to committee a bid of aesculapian reviews into the accrued fig of deaths connected the neonatal portion successful 2015 and 2016 alternatively than telephone the police.

A fig of the babe deaths had already been referred to the coroner's bureau by precocious June 2016, the Thirlwall Inquiry was told.

Giving evidence, Alan Moore, then-assistant coroner for Cheshire, said helium received a telephone telephone successful aboriginal July 2016 from the hospital's manager for firm and ineligible services, Stephen Cross.

He said Mr Cross told him the infirmary had commissioned an autarkic reappraisal from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) pursuing a fig of neonatal deaths.

Counsel to the enquiry Nicholas de la Poer KC said: "We cognize that a driving origin down the RCPCH reappraisal was the information that the consultants raised concerns astatine a fig of meetings that they had suspicions that a caregiver whitethorn beryllium liable for immoderate oregon each of the deaths.

"Was that accusation communicated to you by Mr Cross?"

Mr Moore said: "No."

He said those concerns were besides not mentioned either to himself oregon then-senior coroner for Cheshire Nicholas Rheinberg successful February 2017 erstwhile they met Mr Cross and the hospital's aesculapian manager Ian Harvey.

Mr Moore said: "Mr Rheinberg is simply a precise experienced, diligent and thorough coroner and I person nary uncertainty helium would person contacted the constabulary astir apt earlier Mr Harvey and Mr Cross had near the room."

Mr Moore, who replaced Mr Rheinberg arsenic elder coroner successful March 2017 and retired himself successful June 2022, added: "The proviso of timely, close and truthful accusation is cardinal to the coronial process.

"If the Countess of Chester had go alert of immoderate accusation which had not already been disclosed to the coroner's bureau that would interaction upon a death, the Countess of Chester would person been required to disclose that accusation immediately.

"The Countess of Chester would person been expected to notify the constabulary instantly if it had immoderate crushed to fishy that a idiosyncratic oregon persons whitethorn person been criminally liable for causing a death.

"The coronial process is simply a judicial process. It demands implicit candour from healthcare professionals, clinicians, nurses and from infirmary unit and besides from spot management.

"A nonaccomplishment to disclose to the coroner immoderate accusation which whitethorn person a worldly bearing connected a coronial case, whether it's been done the coronial process already oregon is pending, is to mislead the coroner and to mislead the court."

Letby, 34, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders aft she was convicted astatine Manchester Crown Court of murdering 7 infants and attempting to execution 7 others, with 2 attempts connected 1 of her victims, betwixt June 2015 and June 2016.

The inquiry, sitting astatine Liverpool Town Hall, is expected to beryllium until aboriginal 2025, with findings published by precocious autumn of that year.