Posted on: 21 August 2023
Dear colleagues
On Friday 18 August, neonatal nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of seven counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder for her actions at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
There has been blanket media coverage of these appalling crimes and Dame Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for NHS England, has expressed the shock and sorrow of the nursing profession and the wider healthcare community with an apology to the families affected.
Much of the debate around the case has focused on the view that suspicions of the crimes were not treated seriously, and that staff were not supported to speak up. In fact, there are widely reported suggestions that doctors were prevented from doing so. These issues will be covered in the independent inquiry by the Department of Health and Social Care, also announced on Friday. The inquiry will, we hope, lead to a clear set of actions based on the learning from what could and should have prevented these crimes.
Speaking up
We are writing today to ensure that everyone in our organisation knows that they have the freedom to speak up, that they will be supported in doing so and that we will act on what we have heard. This is essential to the delivery of safe care and entirely within our control. It is our collective experience that major failings in care are accompanied by evidence that emerges later which suggests people were not listened to at crucial points. The Freedom to Speak Up movement came from the failings at Mid Staffordshire Hospitals for example.
We have arrangements in place to support you and we will thank you for speaking up.
How you can voice your concerns
We seek to have a culture of positive reporting of incidents and issues, where it is the norm for teams to report issues to their line manager and professional leads. This should be happening regularly and be part of a learning culture. The approach is built on our values as a Partnership and one of the reasons we focus on these issues at recruitment, induction, and appraisal.
We know that this is not always the case in every team. Where you feel you cannot safely raise issues, you can ‘speak up’ in many ways. We have staff networks, your union or professional body, through our Corporate People team and directly to senior managers. Usually, your line manager will be your first point of call, but if you do not feel you can speak up to them or you have tried and don’t feel listened to, you can also talk to our current Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, Kate Sims, the NHS West Yorkshire ICB's Director of People.
Or you can speak to us directly. We are here to support you.
More information is available on Share Board, including contact details and our freedom to speak up (whistleblowing) policy.
National support
On Friday 18 August, senior leaders within NHS England, including CEO Amanda Pritchard, Sir David Sloman, Dame Ruth May, and Professor Sir Stephen Powis, asked all healthcare leaders and boards across the country to ensure staff feel empowered to speak up about concerns. National support is helpful. Our local culture and the values of our teams are essential.
Your health and wellbeing
Like us, you will have been affected by the guilty verdict on many levels. Please speak about this verdict and its impact in your teams and with your line manager or professional leads. Alongside our wellbeing hub, a range of other resources are available free for you to access. The details are on Share Board. Please do seek the help available as needed.
As an Integrated Care Board, we have a role in setting the culture within West Yorkshire.
This requires the right culture and the right infrastructure for us to succeed. In this case, we also have a clear role through our Local Maternity Neonatal System in ensuring safe and effective maternity services. As we adopt the actions that are required to address failings in this case, we will continue to support you, be professionally curious, keep the person at the centre of all we do and never forget our duty to safeguard patients and the public.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely
Rob Webster CBE, CEO for NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
Dr James Thomas, Medical Director for NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
Beverley Geary, Director of Nursing for NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board