I worked on the hospital ward with Lucy Letby at the time of the deaths – here’s what it was like

People who worked at the hospital with Lucy Letby, when she killed seven babies, have spoken out about their experience. Former nurse Lucy Letby is currently serving 15 whole-life sentences, after she was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others. The deaths took place at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.

After her trial, an investigative piece was published in New Yorker magazine. It is titled: “A British Nurse Was Found Guilty of Killing Seven Babies. Did She Do It?”. The article majorly questioned the outcome of the trial, and was blocked from readers in the UK.

Now, the Netflix documentary also questions her guilt and the evidence used in her trial. It raised the question of if Letby was really guilty, or instead used as a “scapegoat” for wider issues happening at the hospital. Since the original block, the New Yorker piece has become available in the UK again. In it, many people who worked on the hospital ward with Lucy Letby gave their insight into what it was really like there, at the time.

via Netflix

‘We had massive staffing issues, where people were coming in and doing extra shifts’

“Her nursing colleagues spoke highly of her care and dedication,” the piece stated. It noted the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital had been “struggling” at the time. The unit for newborns there was built in 1974, and it was described as “outdated and cramped.”

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According to the report, there were also problems with the drainage system there. Pipes in both the neonatal ward and the maternity ward often leaked or were blocked, and sewage occasionally backed up into the toilets and sinks. Staff were overworked, and staff shortages caused delays and added stress.

At the time of the deaths, the hospital had treated more babies than it had in previous years, and on average they had lower birth weights and more complex medical needs. “We had massive staffing issues, where people were coming in and doing extra shifts,” a senior nurse on the unit said. “It was mainly Lucy that did a lot.”

In a text exchange between Lucy Letby and another nurse, they said at the hospital “staffing really needs looking at” and described the unit as “chaos” and a “madhouse.”

via Netflix

‘I have seen several medical and nursing colleagues in tears’

Senior paediatrician Alison Timmise is said to have emailed the hospital’s chief executive to complain that staff on the unit were “chronically overworked” and “no one is listening.”

She wrote: “Over the past few weeks I have seen several medical and nursing colleagues in tears.” Alison said the unit was running out of equipment, and there weren’t enough trained nurses working. She described low staffing as “unsafe” and said nurses were “stretched thin”.

A mother of one of the babies noted staff were “too busy to pay proper attention to my daughter” and said they were so short staffed, they worked when they were unwell.

She recalled one nurse had been “sneezing and coughing whilst putting her hands in [the baby’s] incubator.” She added: “To top it off, whilst [the nurse] was in the room, the doctor, who was seeing another baby, asked if she was full of a cold, to which she said, ‘Yeah, I’ve been full of it for days.’ So even the doctors were aware and didn’t do anything.”

As per New Yorker, a survey took place the next year, and got results from more than a thousand staff members at the Countess. It revealed about two-thirds had felt pressure to come to work even when they were ill.

New Yorker stated that in September 2016, a team from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health spent two days interviewing people at the Countess. It was found that nursing- and medical staff levels were inadequate, and noted that the increased mortality rate in 2015 was not restricted to the neonatal unit. Stillbirths on the maternity ward were elevated, too.

The Countess of Chester Hospital has made ‘significant changes’ to its services

via ADAM VAUGHAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

After Letby’s trial, the Countess of Chester Hospital released a lengthy statement on its website. It said: “We are extremely sorry that these crimes were committed at our hospital and our thoughts continue to be with all the families and loved ones of the babies who came to harm or died. We cannot begin to understand what they have been through.

“This case has had a profound impact on our patients and our local community and also our staff – who come to work every day determined to provide safe and high-quality care for our patients.

“Our staff are devastated by what happened and we are committed to ensuring lessons continue to be learnt. We are grateful for the cooperation of our staff, especially those who have maintained the utmost professionalism whilst giving evidence in the trial, sometimes on multiple occasions. We will continue to support them and other staff to ensure they receive the care and support they need.”

The statement added: “Since Lucy Letby worked at our hospital, we have made significant changes to our services. I want to provide reassurance that every patient who accesses our services can have confidence in the care they will receive.”

The Tab has reached out to the Countess of Chester Hospital for further comment.

The Investigation of Lucy Letby is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.