A whistleblower nurse, who made national headlines by recounting the “trauma” she faced from NHS managers after raising concerns about a colleague’s competency, has aired optimism that her case could lead to cultural change in the health service.
Scandals of the order of Lucy Letby’s conviction for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others are rare, but Sir Robert Francis KC is not surpris
Lucy Letby does not represent nursing, members of the profession have firmly stated as they reflect on the impact of her horrific crimes and the steps that must be taken following her conviction.
On 22 August the General Medical Council (GMC) published its updated and expanded Good Medical Practice guidance for doctors, after extensive consultation.1 The initial reaction largely centred on the explicit duty of “kindness” placed on doctors what it meant and how it could be regulated. For me, however, the most important paragraphs lie elsewhere, in the section “Responding to safety risks.”
Paragraph 75 says that doctors “must raise their concern” if patients are at risk from “inadequate premises, equipment or other resources, policies or systems.” Paragraph 76 says that doctors in formal management and leadership roles “must take active steps to create an environment in which people can talk about errors and concerns safely. This includes making sure that any concerns raised with you …
On 21 August Lucy Letby, a neonatal nurse, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six others (doi:10.1136/bmj.p1931).1 The case has raised many questions for the NHS about the systemwide implications of these deaths: why were opportunities to stop her missed, why were staff’s concerns about Letby not sufficiently acted on, and what will it take to resolve some of the deep seated problems in the NHS’s organisational culture?
Since 2015 there have been three separate inquiries into NHS maternity services: Morecambe Bay, Shrewsbury and Telford, and East Kent NHS trusts (doi:10.1136/bmj.h1221 doi:10.1136/bmj.m4797 doi:10.1136/bmj.o2520).234 A fourth into Nottingham NHS Trust is under way (doi:10.1136/bmj.p1636).5 These inquiries share common findings: lack …