Executives at the hospital where Lucy Letby attacked and killed babies have told a public inquiry they had never tried to “suppress concerns” about the nurse.

However, the four former senior managers at the Countess of Chester Hospital said they were “deeply sorry” to her victims’ families for “keeping them in the dark”.

While they stressed they had had no suspicions regarding foul play on the part of the nurse before June 2016, they apologised for a delay in contacting police after Letby was removed from front-line duty.

The Thirlwall Inquiry, at Liverpool Town Hall, heard none of the four managers had previously experienced “such criminal behaviour” over the course of their long careers.

Kate Blackwell KC spoke on behalf of former chief executive Tony Chambers, former medical director Ian Harvey, former director of nursing Alison Kelly, and ex-HR director Susan Hodkinson.

On Thursday, lawyers representing the families of babies injured or murdered by Letby criticised the managers for failing to investigate concerns raised by consultants working in the hospital’s neonatal unit.

During Letby’s criminal trial, key witness Dr Ravi Jayaram told the jury that he and his fellow consultants were under a “reasonable amount of pressure from senior management at the hospital not to make a fuss”.

However, Ms Blackwell told inquiry chair Lady Justice Thirlwall: “At no time did the senior managers seek to suppress concerns or attempts to blow the whistle.

“And it will be a matter of exploration for this inquiry as to why those who held concerns about criminality did not contact the NMC, the police, or any of the other relevant external bodies.”

The consultants involved have not yet addressed the inquiry on this point, but are due to give evidence in the coming weeks.

Ms Blackwell said senior managers felt they had “taken appropriate steps” based on the information they had received at the time about rising death rates in the hospital’s neonatal unit.

They recognised, however, that contact with some parents “was inadequate, both in terms of frequency and manner, and that this has caused hurt and anxieties to those affected”.

The managers stated that, when made aware that Letby was on shift during many unexplained deaths and collapses in health, they were told it was likely due to the nurse’s “specialist training” and her willingness to do extra shifts.

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They said neonatal unit manager Eirian Powell was also “firmly of the view that Letby was a good and competent nurse”.

The inquiry heard Mr Chambers, Ms Kelly, Mr Harvey and Ms Hodkinson had worked in healthcare for many years but had “never come across such criminal behaviour”.

“That a nurse could be responsible for these heinous crimes is profoundly disturbing,” Ms Blackwell said.

“It is not something that any of us ever expected to be happening on the neonatal ward of the hospital, it being so against the natural order of what was contemplated or foreseen.”

The inquiry also heard an opening statement on behalf of NHS England, which criticised the Countess of Chester Hospital for under-reporting serious incidents in its neonatal unit.

Jason Beer KC, on behalf of NHS England, told the inquiry: “It seems to be generally acknowledged that there was under-reporting of incidents on the neonatal unit.”

Mr Beer said NHS England acknowledged it “could have done more” to scrutinise the hospital when death rates on the unit became a concern.

Letby, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life prison terms after she was convicted in August 2023 of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016.

The inquiry continues.

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