Government orders independent inquiry at Countess of Chester Hospitals
By Clare Gooch
The Countess of Chester Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is under immense scrutiny following recent events in the Criminal Courts regarding Nurse Lucy Letby. Today the Criminal Court Judge handed down a sentence of life imprisonment for each of the murders and attempted murders Lucy Letby has been convicted of.
The Government has ordered an independent inquiry into the Trusts investigations of the treatment and care provided to many babies on the ward during 2015-2016 and specifically those that were treated by nurse Lucy Letby. It is now feared that there may be further allegations as a result of care provided in the unit and an astounding 4000 cases are being looked into.
The Medical Director, Dr Nigel Scawn released a statement on Friday 18 August, shortly after the verdict in the Criminal Proceedings had been released, apologising that the crimes were committed at their hospital and that they continue to support families during this difficult time. He further said that ‘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 receive’.
Hospital officials face significant criticism for how matters have been handled, with the public inquiry likely to highlight areas of concern in the care afforded to many babies, thus diminishing any confidence that the patients may once have had.
Suzanne Munroe, Director at Switalskis and Head of the Clinical Negligence team says: “Unfortunately, it is not the first time that we have seen Trust officials ignore warnings from their own staff. We saw this most recently with Nottingham University Hospital, where midwives raised issues to senior leadership team on the Trust board and no one listened. Sadly, we see it again with Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust where senior clinicians attempted to raise the alarm but officials failed to take notice. We welcome an inquiry into the circumstances, and we will support families through this process .”
At Switalskis, we support many families who have been subject to public inquiries and have suffered as a result of negligent care. We ensure that all families have the best representation for a public inquiry and are fully supported throughout their civil claims. We understand the difficulties in having to relive harrowing details and advocate for the families in a way that means they don’t have to worry and can focus on processing their journey.
If you or a loved one has any concerns relating to any treatment provided by Countess of Chester Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, please get it in touch so that we can begin to support you, like we do so many other families.
We reach out and invite anyone who may have been impacted by the care received at the Countess of Chester Hospital and/or Liverpool women’s hospital to get in touch for further advice and support. We are here for you. Call 0800 138 0458 or email help@switalskis.com
Clare has worked in Medical Negligence for over 10 years. She’s a Senior Associate Solicitor in our Medical Negligence team based in Switalskis’ London office.
