Parents recount traumatic birth experience amid Lucy Letby scandal

Lucy Letby was so well regarded, her image was even used by the hospital in promotional material. Photo / Supplied

• The Thirlwall Inquiry heard the Countess of Chester’s operating theatre was described as “cold and unhygienic”.
• Triplet parents reported chaos and inadequate care, with Lucy Letby involved before their sons' deaths.
• The parents demanded their surviving child be taken to Liverpool Women’s Hospital, noting better hygiene and care.

The operating theatre where some babies were delivered at Lucy Letby’s hospital was like “something out of a horror film”, the Thirlwall Inquiry has heard.

A father whose two sons died at the Countess of Chester said his partner was taken to a “dingy, cold and unhygienic” room for a caesarean section in June 2016.

The mother was carrying triplets, and when the doctor made the incision to remove the babies, blood and spinal fluid splattered on to a wall of the theatre and landed on her head, the inquiry heard.

Although she complained about the pain, the mother was told by the anaesthetist: “It’s not hurting”.

Letby was convicted of murdering two of the three triplets in the days immediately after their birth.

A third infant survived after being taken to Liverpool Women’s Hospital when his parents became concerned with care at the Countess of Chester.

Describing the birth, the father of the triplets said he was “nervous” after seeing the room in which his partner was to give birth.

“It struck me how it was cold-looking and dingy,” he said in a statement to the inquiry.

“The state of the theatres looked like something out of a horror film. It was very cold and unhygienic.

“The first incision caused a big spray of blood to go across the room. A small amount landed on her head. This left me feeling nervous. It was a huge relief to see them come out safely.”

The inquiry heard how the triplets had shared a placenta, placing them at high risk. The parents had been asked whether they would like to have the heart of the smaller baby stopped, to give the other two a better chance of survival. However, they decided to carry on with the birth.

Speaking of the birth, the mother said: “I was sent to the theatre, and despite being 33 weeks pregnant with triplets, I had to walk from the observation room. I was told to climb on to the bed and sit on the edge ready to be given a spinal block.

“My legs started to go numb and I was told to quickly put my legs on the table. It was not easy for me.”

Describing how the caesarean section progressed, she said: “Blood and spinal fluid splattered over the screen and on to the wall behind me, and this also went on to my face.

“I was told I would feel some pressure and pulling but no pain. I said it was hurting. The anaesthetist said: ‘It’s not hurting, it’s just a bit of pulling’.”

The babies were taken to the neonatal unit, which was where the family first came across Letby.

“Lucy Letby was looking after two of the babies,” the mother added. “She told us how lucky we were, and their weights were great. I wanted to express milk and Lucy Letby showed me how to do this.”

Lucy Letby, a former nurse at Countess of Cheshire Hospital, was convicted on August 18, 2023 of murdering seven babies. Photo / Getty Images

Two of the triplets later needed oxygen treatment, but the parents were assured that the infants were healthy, doing well and heavier than had been expected.

However, on June 23, just two days after his birth, one of the babies – referred to as Child O – suffered an unexpected collapse and died.

“We were confronted by a scene of complete chaos,” said the mother in her statement. “It was complete madness. Nurses were running round left and right grabbing medicines and IVs. It was clear Child O’s collapse was a complete shock to them.”

The following day, another of the babies – referred to as Child P – also suffered an unexpected collapse in the neonatal unit.

“As soon as I got to the unit I was confronted with the same chaos as the day before,” said the mother.

“As soon as they managed to stabilise Child P and he was improving he would deteriorate again. He was being pumped with drugs and resuscitated over and over again.”

His father described the scene of Child P’s death as “absolute pandemonium” with doctors and nurses looking up procedures on the internet.

“I saw a nurse googling a procedure,” he said. “The procedure was a lung drain. There was an image of a person with an arrow where the incision should be.

“I was angry at this point. I remember other staff coming over to the computer to have a look at it. They all had a look at it and did the procedure.

“It looked like they were following a tutorial rather than they actually knew what they were doing.”

The parents demanded that their third child be taken to Liverpool Women’s Hospital – and found it a stark difference from the Countess of Chester.

“We noticed a different level of cleanliness,” said the mother. “There were clear hygiene protocols. We were told to wash our hands before entering the unit and again when we went in the room.”

The Thirlwall Inquiry is examining what could have been done to prevent the deaths at the Countess of Chester.

Speaking of Letby’s arrest, the mother said: “We were devastated in a state of disbelief because Lucy Letby was the one looking after the boys.

“Lucy Letby did not stand out more than any other nurse. She was visibly upset when the boys died.

“She put both boys in the cot together and she was crying. It was her idea to take pictures of the boys. She dressed them and put them together.”

The father of the triplets, who still has nightmares about “being back in the hospital”, said there was now “no doubt in my mind that Lucy Letby was responsible”.

“I have angry dreams about Lucy Letby,” he said. “I cry a lot more than I used to.”