Basic failures at hospital where killer nurse Lucy Letby worked, inquiry told
Letby is serving 15 whole life orders for the murders of seven babies
The inquiry into crimes carried out by killer nurse Lucy Letby has heard basic failures at the Countess of Chester Hospital had "fatal consequences" for babies.
The Thirlwall Inquiry is examining how the 34-year-old nurse was able to carry out her crimes in the neonatal unit between 2015 and 2016.
An opening statement was given by Peter Skelton KC, representing seven of the families.
He said there were "five basic failures which occurred right from the start and which continued for the next two years".
Speaking at Liverpool Town Hall on Thursday, Mr Skelton said: "The first failure was to conduct swift, careful and methodical investigations into why each of the deaths occurred and whether there were connections between the deaths."
He added: "That was a major and catastrophic failure."
Mr Skelton said it meant vital information was overlooked, with "fatal consequences" for other children.
He said the cluster of deaths and collapses should have been escalated to senior management within the hospital trust immediately, so they could have overseen investigations.
Mr Skelton said: "From the outset, and without prejudice and without pre-judgment, it should have been in the minds of those conducting and overseeing the investigations that the cluster of unexpected and unexplained deaths might have been caused by the criminal acts of a member of hospital staff."
The barrister said a report into Beverley Allitt, a nurse who killed children at Grantham Hospital, Lincolnshire, in 1991, sought to ensure that healthcare staff were prepared to keep their minds open to the possibility of criminal conduct.
As well as the Allitt case, Mr Skelton said that in May 2015, just before Letby's crimes began, nurse Victorino Chua was sentenced for murdering patients at Stepping Hill Hospital.
He said: "It is difficult to understand why events at Stepping Hill did not at the very least alert those at the Countess of Chester from the start that the cluster of unexpected deaths were the result of potential criminality and that active steps were required to rule out that possibility."
Mr Skelton said the police and coroner should have been informed at the outset, which could have had a "profound effect" on the course of events.
He told the inquiry the fifth failure was not to inform the families that the deaths were being investigated with a view to finding out why they occurred.
Mr Skelton said: "You will hear from some of the parents over the next few weeks about how they were kept in the dark about the collapses of the babies and the concerns and investigations that were being undertaken into their babies' deaths."
He said the failings were made "all the more indefensible" by the increase in numbers of neonatal deaths.
Letby, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.
The inquiry, chaired by Lady Justice Thirlwall, is expected to sit until early 2025, with findings published by late autumn of that year.
A court order prohibits reporting of the identities of the surviving and dead children involved in the case.