Thirlwall Inquiry: how were Lucy Letby killings able to happen?

The independent hearings, which begin this week, will aim to 'seek answers for the victims' families and ensure lessons are learned'

Photo composite of Lucy Letby, Countess of Chester Hospital and a neonatal ward
Neonatal nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital
(Image credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images)

An inquiry examining what exactly happened at the Countess of Chester Hospital during the time convicted murderer Lucy Letby worked there will begin this week.

Former neonatal nurse Letby was convicted in 2023 of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven others at the hospital between 2015 and 2016. She has been sentenced to multiple whole life sentences for her crimes.

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 Sorcha Bradley is a writer at The Week and a regular on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. She worked at The Week magazine for a year and a half before taking up her current role with the digital team, where she mostly covers UK current affairs and politics. Before joining The Week, Sorcha worked at slow-news start-up Tortoise Media. She has also written for Sky News, The Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard and Grazia magazine, among other publications. She has a master’s in newspaper journalism from City, University of London, where she specialised in political journalism.