00:00The final report from the Thirlwall Inquiry has brought renewed attention to the evidence surrounding Lucy Letby's convictions.
00:09The inquiry was launched in 2023 after the former nurse was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder
00:17seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
00:20Chairwoman Lady Justice Thirlwall found some babies could have been saved from death and harm if safeguarding action had been
00:27taken earlier.
00:28But Letby's barrister Mark Macdonald has criticised the inquiry's approach.
00:33So it's disappointing that the inquiry is accepted as a full prosecution narrative at trial.
00:40But it's not expected because the nature of the terms of reference laid down by Parliament was on a premise
00:48that Lucy Letby was guilty.
00:50And therefore, that's the way Lady Justice Thirlwall conducted the inquiry.
00:55So, but what we've now got, and actually it happened within months of the inquiry being set up, started to
01:04come through, is evidence that in fact Lucy Letby is innocent.
01:08And we've now got nearly 30 experts from across the world that show not only that Lucy Letby was innocent,
01:17but no crime was committed.
01:18Letby from Hereford maintains her innocence.
01:21She's serving 15 whole life terms for the murders and attempted murders and was twice denied permission to appeal in
01:282024.
01:29Her legal team has presented evidence to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, or the CCRC, which investigates potential miscarriages of
01:37justice.
01:38Mr Macdonald says an international panel of medics has argued that poor medical care and natural causes could explain the
01:44baby's collapse.
01:45He's calling for the CCRC to consider that evidence.
01:48Two experts also left Letby's defence team before the inquiry report was published.
01:54Meanwhile, Health Secretary Yvette Cooper has described the inquiry report as a turning point for the NHS.
01:59On behalf of the government and the health service, I am profoundly sorry for the failures set out so clearly
02:07in this report.
02:08For the harm, distress and unthinkable loss for their families and for the failures to keep their babies safe.
02:19Our responsibility now is to act.
02:21Let me be clear, the safety and care for babies, the safeguarding of every patient, the respect for families, all
02:27of these go to the heart of our NHS values.
02:30And they must be at the heart, not just of what we say, but what we do.
02:35So let me turn to the recommendations.
02:37Lady Justice Thurwell has made 17 recommendations on what needs to be done to keep babies safe.
02:42The government is considering recommendations including caught cameras, stronger controls on insulin storage and regulation of NHS managers.
02:50The inquiry examined what happened at the hospital, while the CCRC is considering evidence presented in relation to Letby's convictions.
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