Concerns have been raised that the inquiry looking into the murders and attempted murders of babies by Lucy Letby will not go far enough. An independent inquiry has been ordered following the nurse's conviction for the crimes at a hospital in Chester. But MP Samantha Dixon said a judge should lead this while MP Dr. Caroline Johnson said the right approach is being taken. The government said the inquiry would aim to provide answers to the families. Letby was found guilty on Friday of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital following a 10-month trial. She was found not guilty on two attempted murders and the jury could not reach verdicts on six others. The Department of Health said the independent inquiry aimed to provide answers to the parents of the babies and ensure lessons were learned. However, the inquiry will not have the power to summon evidence or witnesses, as it is not a statutory inquiry. Dr. Bill Kirkup, who has led non-statutory reviews for other maternity units, said non-compliance had not been a problem in his experience and people were "ready and willing to cooperate". The patient safety investigator told the BBC he had identified common features between the Letby case and the reviews he had conducted — including managers accused of "protecting reputations" above listening to staff concerns. Some have raised concerns over the limitations of the new inquiry. City of Chester MP Dixon said while she welcomed the intention to move swiftly the inquiry would rely on "the goodwill of witnesses to attend". "I think in a case as grave as this a judge would need to do that," she told BBC Breakfast. Former Crown Prosecution Service chief in north-west England Nazir Afzal, shares Dixon's concerns. He prosecuted the case of another nurse Victorino Chua who murdered patients at a hospital in Stockport in 2011, which in turn led to a non-judicial inquiry. Afzal argued that nearly 10 years on some recommendations from that inquiry had still not been fully implemented. "When you have a judicial inquiry, there is some level of authority behind it that requires you to respond," he told BBC Breakfast. But Dr. Johnson, a consultant pediatrician and MP who sits on the health select committee, said lessons needed to be learned quickly and the government could decide to order a statutory inquiry at a later date if extra powers were needed. "I appreciate that people can't be compelled in quite the same way, I would hope that people would still nevertheless come forward," she told BBC Radio 4's Today program. Yvonne Agnew from law firm Slater and Gordon, representing two of the families, said the verdict was "not the end of our search for answers and our fight for justice for our clients". She said they were "determined" that lessons were learned by the hospital, the NHS and the wider medical profession. After the verdict, Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said it was "extremely sorry" the crimes happened in its hospital and it had since made "significant changes" to their services. Former chief executive of the hospital Tony Chambers and former medical director Ian Harvey, who were in charge at the time Letby was working at the hospital, have said they will co-operate fully with the inquiry. — BBC
