Ex-hospital boss 'astonished' by staff 'complacency' after Lucy Letby's arrest
BBCThe former boss of the hospital where Lucy Letby worked has said she was "astonished" by a "general feeling of complacency" when she arrived weeks after the nurse's arrest.
Dr Susan Gilby joined Countess of Chester Hospital in August 2018. She said she expected people to be "reeling from shock and distress" but found them "quite relaxed".
The Thirlwall Inquiry report, published on Tuesday, found hospital executives did not expect the police investigation to "lead anywhere" and said this was consistent with their earlier conduct.
Ex-senior hospital managers named in the report have said they are reviewing Thirlwall's findings, but cannot comment further while other investigations remain active.
PAGilby, who joined as medical director and deputy chief executive before later becoming chief executive, said: "There was a general feeling of complacency rather than people reeling from shock and distress, which is what I had expected to find."
She said the narrative she encountered was that someone had been picked to blame and that the police investigation would not result in charges.
"I was astonished," she said.
Letby, 36, is serving 15 whole-life prison terms after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.
Thirlwall said some of the babies Letby killed could have been saved if managers at the Countess of Chester Hospital had taken action earlier.
Letby maintains her innocence and the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is reviewing her convictions.
Former senior managers said after the inquiry report was published on Tuesday that, with other investigations under way, it would be inappropriate to comment further. They said their thoughts remained with the families affected.
'Something had gone terribly wrong'
Gilby said nothing in Lady Justice Thirlwall's findings had surprised her.
Asked whether she felt she had already identified the failures later set out by the inquiry report, she replied: "Absolutely did, yes."
She said it became clear soon after she arrived, from speaking to consultants and examining evidence, that "something had gone terribly wrong" when concerns were raised.
Gilby commissioned reviews into the trust's governance and its management response to the concerns.
She said the findings on the internal issues were the same as those later identified by the Thirlwall Inquiry, but the report on the management response was not released at the time.
Gilby said she had intended for it to be made available to parents after Letby's trial so they would not have to wait years for a public inquiry to hear that lives "potentially could have been saved".
Gilby described the Countess of Chester as a "particularly bad example" when she arrived, saying there had been a lack of openness and willingness to accept that improvements were needed.
She said work had subsequently been done to improve the trust's culture and patient safety and she was confident that would have continued after she left.
Gilby also said the case raised wider questions about NHS culture and the treatment of people who raise patient-safety concerns.
She said concerns about careers and status could discourage some senior figures from doing the right thing, while the person raising concerns could become "the focus of the problem".
The Thirlwall Inquiry report separately found "toxic negativity" in the NHS towards people who speak up.
In January this year, Gilby was awarded £1.4m after suing the health service for unfair dismissal, after she was suspended in December 2022.
The compensation payment came after an employment tribunal ruled in February 2025 that board members at the Countess of Chester NHS Trust had conspired to remove her from her job.
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