Lucy Letby doctor says he 'naively' trusted bosses and should have gone to police sooner

Dr Stephen Brearey, the lead neonatal consultant at the Countess of Chester Hospital, says he trusted senior managers to act on his concerns about Lucy Letby, believing they held the same values — a judgement he now deeply regrets. Speaking in his first interview since the Thirlwall Inquiry report, Brearey described how hospital bosses repeatedly dismissed warnings raised collectively by a group of seven consultants. Cheshire Police were not contacted until May 2017, by which point Letby had remained at the hospital throughout, and she kept working there for more than a year after that before her arrest.

Brearey said there was 'no psychological support' for staff after Letby's arrest — just 'colleagues looking after colleagues'.

The Thirlwall Inquiry found a 'toxic negativity' within the NHS that continues to deter staff from raising concerns, even with strengthened whistleblowing guidance in place.

Brearey cautioned that shifting the NHS's culture will be a slow process, even though the hospital is now under new management.