Lucy Letby trust boss ‘persuaded’ to run Romford hospital

The chief executive of the trust where Lucy Letby murdered seven babies was later hired to run east London hospitals after being “persuaded” by a senior NHS boss, according to a report.

Tony Chambers ran the Countess of Chester NHS Trust when nurse Letby killed seven babies and attempted to kill six others at the hospital’s neonatal unit in 2015 and 2016.

She was convicted this month and was given a full life sentence.

Mr Chambers resigned from his role in September 2018, two months after Letby was arrested.

The BBC has reported that paediatric consultants in the unit where Letby worked had raised concerns about her for more than a year before the trust asked police to investigate.

Mr Chambers was later appointed as the interim boss of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT), which runs Queen’s Hospital in Romford and King George Hospital in Goodmayes, in 2020.

Letby was still yet to be charged by police at this stage.

The BBC has today reported that it has seen a now-deleted blog by Mr Chambers that was published on BHRUT’s website shortly after his appointment.

Tony Chambers was appointed to run BHRUT in 2020 on an interim basis (Image: BHRUT)

In the blog, Mr Chambers reportedly said: “Having had a long and varied career in the NHS I’ve made lots of friends, including Sir David Sloman, the NHS regional director for London.

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“He’s been trying to persuade me to come and work in London for a number of years, and I saw this as an opportunity to do something different.”

NHS England told the BBC that its London region had been unaware of the murder probe at the time of Mr Chambers’ appointment.

Mr Chambers left BHRUT in August 2021 and then joined two other NHS trusts in interim chief executive roles.

NHS England told the BBC that Mr Chambers had been offered the BHRUT job “following a competitive process”.

A spokesperson said: “As regional director for London, Sir David Sloman was not aware of the events at the Countess of Chester when Tony Chambers was appointed.”

They have now brought in “additional background checks”, the spokesperson added, and assessments are now recorded on the “national electronic staff record system so that they are transferable to other NHS organisations as part of their recruitment processes”.

Mr Chambers has previously said he will co-operate with the independent inquiry ordered by the government into the circumstances of the Letby case, adding: “As chief executive, my focus was on the safety of the baby unit and the wellbeing of patients and staff.

“I was open and inclusive as I responded to information and guidance.”