Almost a third of NHS employees who have told a whistle-blowing charity that their concerns were ignored, a public inquiry into Lucy Letby’s crimes has heard.
Pediatricians had raised concerns that the nurse was deliberately harming babies in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Letby was reassigned to a non-medical role in July 2016 but medical experts continued to speak out as hospital executives later made plans to return Letby to the unit.
Sybil Raphael, legal director of Protect, said NHS staff felt raising concerns was “like throwing a pebble into a dark hole”, adding: “It’s absolutely pointless.”
The Thirlwall Inquiry, which is looking into Letby’s offences, previously heard that Letby launched a complaint against his transfer, and was upheld later this year.
But the serial killer, originally from Hereford, never went back as Cheshire Constabulary was asked in May 2017 to investigate a growing number of child deaths in the unit.
Former chief executive Tony Chambers previously denied to the Thirlwall inquiry that he had tried to “ruin the careers” of consultants Dr Ravi Jayaram and Dr Stephen Breary when they brought concerns to his attention.
Giving evidence to the inquiry, Ms Raphael said 31% of NHS healthcare workers who had told the campaign group their concerns had been ignored.
He said: “Ignore means no research is done, ignore means nobody does anything about it.
“It’s like throwing a pebble into a dark hole. It’s pointless to raise the issue because no one has noticed.”
He added that 62 per cent of those who called the NHS for protection said they had been punished for speaking out.
Ms Raphael added: “Instead of being thanked for what they should be doing, which is worrying, they are being punished for it, they are being targeted.”
He said the figures were “not vastly different” from other industries but suggested the NHS had a greater culture of blame than other sectors.
Protect is calling for a whistleblowing commissioner for England and Wales.
“There is nothing in our legal system that actually compels employers to set up a system,” Ms Raphael said.
Letby, 34, is serving 15 life sentences, including two attempts on a child’s life, after killing seven children and attempting to kill seven others between June 2015 and June 2016.
The inquiry, sitting at Liverpool Town Hall, will hear evidence until January, with the findings to be published by the end of the autumn.