The Guardian view on Lucy Letby: Thirlwall should have waited for the pending case review | Editorial

Important recommendations for neonatal care are shadowed by doubts about the nurse’s convictions When she rejected calls to pause the public inquiry into the Countess of Chester hospital, where Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more, Lady Justice Thirlwall said that questions surrounding Letby’s guilt lay outside her terms of reference.

The inquiry, she said, would focus on the hospital and its staff, not the convictions.

Eighteen months later, with the 822-page report in the public domain, her decision to press on while Letby’s guilt was in the process of being formally challenged looks like a mistake.

The report’s recommendations , based on many months of hearings, include strengthened oversight of hospitals by the Care Quality Commission, more support for whistleblowers from the health ombudsman, and clearer monitoring and reporting on the deaths of children.

As previous inquiries have also found, there are serious problems around accountability, openness and safeguarding in the NHS.

Lady Thirlwall’s conclusions about service improvements should be added to the roster of outstanding actions.

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