Swinney fails to say if he will adopt recommendations of Letby inquiry 

Following questioning by Alex Cole-Hamilton at First Minister’s Questions, John Swinney refused to say whether he will adopt the recommendations made by the public inquiry that established the events surrounding Lucy Letby’s crimes.

Earlier this week, the public inquiry chaired by Lady Justice Thirlwall into how Lucy Letby was able to murder babies at the Countess of Chester hospital delivered its findings.

It found that there were “missed opportunities” to prevent the murders and that hospital bosses repeatedly failed in their duty of candour with parents, investigators and regulators.

Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“This week, Lady Justice Thirlwall published her report into the horrific murder of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

“This review was instructed following the conviction of neonatal nurse, Lucy Letby.

“This was a shocking case.

“So can I ask the First Minister, what his government has learned from that inquiry?”

He went on to say:

“Whilst the inquiry’s recommendations stop at the border, the risk to babies does not.

“Parents will want to know that newborns here are given the same protections as babies everywhere else.

“Lady Justice Thirlwall’s recommendations include in-cot cameras with live-streaming video, tighter controls on access to insulin, and a duty on every health trust to monitor all baby deaths and escalate concerning patterns.

“It now falls to this government to choose whether to adopt these vital protections.

“Because God forbid, should Scotland ever have its own Lucy Letby, we must have every possible safeguard in place to keep our babies safe.

“So can I ask the First Minister, will his government introduce equivalent protections here in Scotland, and by when?”

Speaking after First  Minister’s Questions, Alex said:

“I pressed the First Minister on the specific recommendations made for the NHS in England and whether they might be similarly adopted here in our NHS.

“Disappointingly, the First Minister gave little detail on his government’s plans. I would have expected the First Minster to have come armed with a substantial response to what has been a major, and disturbing, story this week.

“I trust he will ensure that protections and safeguards here in Scotland, at the very least match, if not exceed, those south of the border.”