Context
Eirian Powell was Ward Manager on the neonatal unit through the cluster period. Her Thirlwall Inquiry evidence addresses day-to-day management, Letby’s appraisals during 2015–16, and her own view of the consultants’ concerns at the time.
Key passages
Her role as unit manager. Eirian Powell worked on the neonatal unit from 1993 to 2017 and became unit manager in July 2011, responsible for the day-to-day running of the ward, staffing, performance and conduct issues among nurses. She told the Inquiry that reflecting now on the trust and support she had given Letby at the time, “I can’t, I can’t see at that time or now anything different, based on the evidence that we were given at the time”.
Moving Letby to day shifts. Asked why she moved Letby onto days in April 2016, Ms Powell said it followed discussions with two colleagues that “maybe this was an opportune moment to put Lucy on to days as a well-being approach because she had been involved in so many of the recent deaths that that must have a profound effect on her well-being”. Pressed on whether there was also a monitoring purpose, given more staff were on shift during the day, she agreed. Asked what she told Letby, she said only that “she had a respite from all the events that were” happening at night; asked directly whether she told her that “more eyes would be watching her”, she answered “No”.
“Beyond coincidence”. Ms Powell was taken to a note recording that Dr ZA and Dr Brearey “stressed the fact that we could not medically explain these deaths” and that “the association with Lucy was beyond coincidence and her working pattern. We thought she must be involved in some way”; she confirmed she could remember that meeting. Asked what she herself made of the pattern, she said “all I could go with is commonality and the high mortality”, and agreed that calling the police was “a good way to have gone because they would do their own investigation”.
The grievance interview. Counsel put to Ms Powell that during Letby’s grievance process she had defended her by saying she looked after the sickest babies and that the deaths could be put down to coincidence, when the babies concerned were not necessarily the sickest on the unit. Asked whether she saw the difference between saying there was no evidence and actively arguing why Letby could not have done it, she agreed: “Yes”. Asked what she thought about that now, she said: “Well, looking back at it, it looks obvious. But — with hindsight, it looks obvious”.
Her closing reflection. In her statement, read to the Inquiry, Ms Powell said: “I remained open minded about potential factors which could have contributed to rise in deaths. I participated in the various reviews undertaken and there was no information arising from the review work to indicate that there was an issue with Letby. As the unit manager, I was used to managing staff and challenging them when issues arose and had there been anything more than a gut feeling… I would have immediately addressed this”. She agreed that the “gut feeling” she referred to was “Dr Brearey’s gut feeling”.
What to read alongside this
See our profile of Eirian Powell and Dr Brearey’s account of the same period.