UK - Nurse Lucy Letby Faces 22 Charges - 7 Murder/15 Attempted Murder of Babies #2

[Tortoise]

2:57pm

All the children involved in the case were in the neonatal unit and, Mr Johnson said, Letby "was either responsible for their care or got involved with them."
Witnesses will be called to give evidence from just before, at the time of, or just after the events of alleged criminality occurred.

LIVE: Trial of Lucy Letby accused of Countess of Chester Hospital baby murders

 

[Tortoise]

3:00pm

The evidence given, Mr Johnson explains, will "put into context" into what was going on at the neonatal unit and how an individual child was being treated at the time.

LIVE: Trial of Lucy Letby accused of Countess of Chester Hospital baby murders

 

[Tortoise]

3:03pm

The prosecution is now turning to the individual cases.

LIVE: Trial of Lucy Letby accused of Countess of Chester Hospital baby murders

 

[JerseyGirl]

Nurse Lucy Letby poisoned babies with insulin, trial told

Nurse Lucy Letby is described as a "constant malevolent presence" at the opening of her murder trial.

www.bbc.com

 

[Whitehall 1212]

This is based on my experience as a Registered General Nurse but this may help
Here is the list of controlled drugs that hospitals have to register in a controlled drug book.
Other drugs can be stored in regular cupboards and fridges.

Insulin is a drug that requires storage in a fridge

Controlled drugs list

The most commonly encountered drugs currently controlled under the misuse of drugs legislation.

www.gov.uk

My experience of the management, storage and administering of drugs, including some controlled (e.g midazolam, morphine) is in pre-hospital emergency care. Protocols are strict.

Then again hospitals have to balance the efficient delivery of patient care with risk management.

 

[Tortoise]

3:06pm

Count 1: Child A murder allegation
Child A, a boy, was born premature in June 2015, the younger of a twin child (Child B).


3:11pm

Medical records for Child A's birth are shown to the jury, including the names of which medical staff were present at the birth, and the condition of Child A, plus medical observations.
Child A was in "good condition" at birth, and taken to the neonatal unit ICU. 13 hours later, he was breathing "in air" without the requirement of extra, medically administered, oxygen.

LIVE: Trial of Lucy Letby accused of Countess of Chester Hospital baby murders

 

[Bakers]

So are the police saying from their investigation they now know the causes of death for each baby??

 

[Marantz4250b]

3:06pm

Count 1: Child A murder allegation
Child A, a boy, was born premature in June 2015, the younger of a twin child (Child B).


3:11pm

Medical records for Child A's birth are shown to the jury, including the names of which medical staff were present at the birth, and the condition of Child A, plus medical observations.
Child A was in "good condition" at birth, and taken to the neonatal unit ICU. 13 hours later, he was breathing "in air" without the requirement of extra, medically administered, oxygen.

LIVE: Trial of Lucy Letby accused of Countess of Chester Hospital baby murders

I'm no expert but that makes no sense. It's entirely contradictory, surely?

 

[Tortoise]

I'm no expert but that makes no sense. It's entirely contradictory, surely?

Being in good condition and also being put in the ICU?

 

[cuecard]

Given the complexity of this whole situation - even just from today's beginning - I think it is going to take months to begin to get a well rounded feeling either way about this case. I just hope that whatever the truth is, it is found and told. Babies died and numerous lives have been changed inexplicably forever. It needs to be right.

 

[Marantz4250b]

So are the police saying from their investigation they now know the causes of death for each baby??

That's what they appear to be saying. I'm curious as to how they'll prove it though. If you claim that the cause of death is that air has been injected then unless someone actually saw it happen or it's on video I'm at a loss as to what the evidence could actually be.

 

[Marantz4250b]

Being in good condition and also being put in the ICU?

Yes.

 

[mucbetam]

On the point about statistical and scientific background, this is where highly skilled barristers and expert witnesses come into play to deep dive everything down to the very basics and then intuit things back up to the complex - agreed though - but remember that barristers are highly skilled professionals and in this case will undoubtedly be KCs.

 

[cuecard]

Being in good condition and also being put in the ICU?

Could mean good condition for a premature baby but still rather unwell in comparison to a non premature baby.

 

[Tortoise]

3:18pm

A medical chart records the fluids going in and out of Child A.
Child A was given 1ml of milk via a nasogastric tube at 4pm and 6pm.
A nurse had looked after Child A that day. She handed over care to Letby at 8pm before she had been able to administer intravaneous fluids. The fluids were started at the time of the handover - the nurse assisting Letby. Child A was stable at the time of the handover.

LIVE: Trial of Lucy Letby accused of Countess of Chester Hospital baby murders

 

[Marantz4250b]

Could mean good condition for a premature baby but still rather unwell in comparison to a non premature baby.

So, not in good condition as far as newborn's go, then? This looks like very sloppy preparation, to be fair. OTOH it may be down the reporting not being 100% word perfect.

 

[Tortoise]

5m ago15:17

Child A died less than 90 minutes after being handed into Letby's care​

The prosecution is now outlining details about Child A. None of the children harmed, or killed, are being named for legal reasons.
Child A was allegedly murdered on 8 June 2015, shortly after his birth.
Despite being premature, he was born in "good condition" and on 8 June he was described in his medical notes as breathing "in air" - meaning he didn't need extra oxygen.
But, by 8.26pm that same day he was "deteriorating rapidly".
He had been handed over to Letby's care less than half an hour earlier.
By 9pm, he had been pronounced dead - within 90 minutes of Letby coming onto shift.

Lucy Letby trial - live: 'A poisoner was at work in the hospital' - Nurse accused of killing seven babies goes on trial

 

[Tortoise]

3:23pm

The connection of the fluids, Mr Johnson said, would have been after 8.10pm, and it was recorded on the infusion prescription chart at 8.05pm.
At 8.20pm, Child A was reported to have white feet and hands, and Letby called a doctor to the incubator at 8.26pm, as child A was deteriorating.
Resuscitation procedures began, with adrenaline administered to stimulate the heart.
Doctors observed "an odd discolouration on Child A's abdominal skin - flitting patches of pink over blue skin that seemed to appear and disappear".
Mr Johnson said: "This proved to be the first of a series of similar presentations on the skin of babies suddenly and catastrophically collapsing at the CoCH NNU over the succeeding months.
"It is a hallmark of some of the cases in which Lucy Letby injected air into the blood streams of some of these small babies."

LIVE: Trial of Lucy Letby accused of Countess of Chester Hospital baby murders

 

[Tortoise]

3:26pm

"All resuscitation techniques which would be expected to bring a baby back to life failed."
Child A was pronounced dead at 8.58pm. He had died, Mr Johnson said, within 90 minutes of Lucy Letby coming on duty.
She was recorded as being the only witness associated with Child A's collapse.
The doctor noted, at 8.26pm, that Lety was showing an oxygen mask to Child A's face.
The monitors showed Child A had a normal heart rate and good oxygen saturations, and a normal ECG, but was not breathing.
The doctor noted: "an unusual blotchy pattern of well perfused pink skin over the whole of [Child A]'s body coupled with patches of white and blue skin … all over his body."

3:26pm

The case was referred to the coroner and the cause of Child A's death was 'unascertained' at the time.

LIVE: Trial of Lucy Letby accused of Countess of Chester Hospital baby murders

 

[Whitehall 1212]

You'd still try to find out why it happened though, surely?

It's important to place oneself into the environment of a Intensive Care/High Dependency Neonatal Unit. Babies who can go downhill very rapidly for a multitude of reasons, some with no easy explanation. It's part of that environment on a daily basis.

It is par for the course and the expectation that a staff member would cause deliberate harm is just not on the radar.