The Letby case inquiry will lead to more blame and suspicion in the NHS – and patients will be less safe | Mark McDonald

I fear for what comes next because medics must be able to ask questions, raise concerns and admit mistakes. A defensive staff is dangerous for everyone

• Mark McDonald is a barrister representing Lucy Letby

I have been Lucy Letby’s barrister for the past two years. I have spent thousands of hours going through the evidence, speaking to experts and examining what happened to the babies who died or became seriously unwell on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester hospital. I have worked with nearly 30 experts, including internationally recognised specialists in neonatology, pathology, insulin, statistics and other fields. It may be to some an inconvenient truth, but I am convinced that Letby is innocent, and her convictions represent one of the most serious miscarriages of justice in modern British legal history. That means she was failed by the police, the NHS, the criminal justice system and, importantly, a plethora of experts who simply got it wrong.

My work on the case has also raised wider concerns about the evidence and conclusions surrounding the deaths on the neonatal unit, and what the lessons being drawn from this case will mean for doctors and nurses in neonatal medicine.

Mark McDonald is a criminal defence and human rights barrister specialising in miscarriages of justice

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