Senior NHS manager who ‘ignored warnings about serial killer nurse Lucy Letby while she was director of nursing at baby killer’s hospital’ is suspended

A senior NHS manager who ignored warnings about British serial killer nurse Lucy Letby while she was director of nursing at the baby killer’s hospital has been suspended.

Alison Kelly was accused in court of failing to act even when doctors raised ‘serious concerns’ about the nurse during her time as director of nursing and quality at the Countess of Chester Hospital.  

She is now a director of nursing at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust located in the Manchester area.

Politicians called for her position to be examined by ministers, according to a report by The Telegraph.

It emerged yesterday that Ms. Kelly has now been suspended due to allegations that came to light during the court case.

An NHS England spokesperson told The Telegraph: ‘We welcome the independent inquiry announced by the Department of Health and Social Care into the events at the Countess of Chester and will cooperate fully to help ensure all lessons are learned.

‘In light of information that has emerged during the trial of Lucy Letby, and the announcement of the independent inquiry, the Northern Care Alliance has suspended Alison Kelly.’

NHS managers accused of neglecting to act on repeated warnings that Letby was a threat to newborns now face the possibility of losing their pensions if convicted of criminal negligence or corporate manslaughter.

Suspended Ms. Kelly is the most senior nurse at the Salford and Rochdale organisations in the Northern Care Alliance in the North-West of England. The trust employs 20,000 staff.

Politicians in the area were reportedly vert concerned to learn that Ms Kelly remained in a senior management position at the trust.

Letby, 33, will spend the rest of her life in jail after she was convicted of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six more during her shifts on the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit between 2015 and 2016.

Ms. Kelly was first told that Letby was the only nurse on shift when three babies died in the space of two weeks.

Letby then murdered four more babies after concerns were first raised with Ms. Kelly.

The NHS manager was contacted again in February 2016 by Stephen Brearey who found common links to nine deaths going back to mid-2015. 
Executives only launched a formal investigation in July 2016.

An NHS England spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We welcome the independent inquiry announced by the Department of Health and Social Care into the events at the Countess of Chester and will cooperate fully to help ensure all lessons are learned.

‘In light of information that has emerged during the trial of Lucy Letby, and the announcement of the independent inquiry, the Northern Care Alliance has suspended Alison Kelly.’

A statement from Dr. Nigel Scawn, the medical director of the Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘I speak for the whole Trust when I say how deeply saddened and appalled we are at Lucy Letby’s crimes.

‘We are extremely sorry that these crimes were committed at our hospital and our thoughts continue to be with all the families and loved ones of the babies who came to harm or died. We cannot begin to understand what they have been through.’