Writing in NLJ this week, Richard Scorer of Slater and Gordon Lawyers says managers should have alerted police as soon as suspicions about Lucy Letby arose. Lady Justice Thirlwall concluded that three babies could have survived and seven others could have been spared harm had safeguarding procedures been followed. Her proposals include CCTV in neonatal units, tighter controls on insulin, extending the duty of candour to managers and stronger management regulation.
The report also warns that a ‘no blame culture’ can become a ‘no responsibility’ culture. Scorer points to the two-decade delay in introducing medical examiners after the Shipman Inquiry. Without independent monitoring and swift implementation, he argues, the latest recommendations risk gathering dust.
