Emergency care at the hospital where Lucy Letby worked is falling far short of legal standards, the healthcare watchdog has found, with routine corridor care and “critical gaps” in sepsis treatment.
The Countess of Chester hospital, in north-west England, was issued with an urgent warning notice after inspectors found “repeated breaches” of regulations in its emergency care unit.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated the A&E as “inadequate” and the overall service as “requires improvement”.
Letby, who worked on the Countess’s neonatal unit, is serving 15 whole-life prison terms after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill another seven between June 2015 and June 2016.
The 35-year-old former nurse has asked the Criminal Cases Review Commission to review her convictions in the hope of overturning them at the court of appeal.
Inspectors found “visibly dirty equipment”, poor infection control, overcrowding, prolonged handover times and corridor care that “compromised dignity and safety”.
The 42-page report, due to be published in the coming days, said there were “critical gaps” in the hospital’s sepsis treatment and mental health risk assessments. The latest data from June 2024 suggested it was only treating 59% of sepsis patients within an hour, far short of the 84% target.
Karen Knapton, a CQC deputy director, said the Countess had failed to address previous concerns about its emergency services “which continued to place people at risk”.
She said: “People were sometimes held in ambulances for prolonged periods of time due to this limited capacity in the department. We also saw someone with suspected sepsis not receiving treatment according to national guidance placing them at risk of harm.
“Staffing gaps combined with a very busy department meant people being cared for in corridor beds had become normalised. People with complex needs, such as those with learning disabilities or mental health conditions, often experienced even longer wait times resulting in an overall poorer experience.”
Jane Tomkinson, the chief executive for Countess of Chester hospital NHS foundation trust, said she was “disappointed” by the CQC rating and that it had taken immediate action.
“Whilst we have seen improvements, it is clear the actions taken in the last 12 months need to be enhanced to consistently deliver the experience and care our patients deserve.
“Our focus remains on addressing some longstanding challenges and we are committed to supporting our teams to ensure that the actions we take lead to sustainable improvements in our services.”
