Ministers indicate support for statutory inquiry into Lucy Letby killings | Lucy Letby

Relatives of Lucy Letby’s victims have welcomed the clearest indication yet that ministers will reverse their decision not to order a full statutory inquiry into how the former neonatal nurse was able to murder seven babies and attempt to murder six more.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it was ready to bow to the wishes of the victims’ families for an inquiry that could compel witnesses to give evidence, while the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said he believed the process should be judge-led.

“We have ordered an independent inquiry and will appoint a chair shortly, and want to work closely with the families involved to shape the inquiry – including standing ready to put the inquiry on whatever footing the families deem necessary,” a DHSC spokesperson said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Sunak said: “Obviously, this was one of the most despicable, horrific crimes in our history. And it’s really important that we get answers; particularly for the families of the victims.

“The health secretary is taking that work forward, speaking to them, to make sure we understand what they need and want and how best we can address that. Whatever form the inquiry takes, I believe it is important it is judge-led so that it has a strong independent voice to get to the bottom of what happened.”

Ministers, including Sunak, initially insisted the inquiry should be non-statutory, meaning witnesses could decline to give evidence, because such a process would be able to reach its conclusions more quickly – something they believed the families of Letby’s victims would appreciate.

But relatives have consistently called for the inquiry to be placed on a statutory footing. While ministers have thus far denied such calls, the DHSC’s statement indicated they were now willing to relent.

Such a move would represent a significant step for those whose children Letby attacked.

On Friday, Richard Scorer, a lawyer representing two of the families, said: “I welcome the clear commitment from the secretary of state to work with the families on this and listen to their views.”

While Sunak’s comments indicate he is moving towards supporting a statutory inquiry, he stopped short of explicitly saying so on Friday.

Scorer, of the firm Slater Gordon, added: “I welcome the prime minister’s commitment to a judge-led inquiry. But it is crucial that the judge and the inquiry have the powers to compel witnesses to give evidence under oath, and to force disclosure of documents. For that to happen, the inquiry needs to be put on a statutory basis. Otherwise, it will lack legal teeth and is likely to be ineffective.”

There have also been calls for greater scrutiny of NHS managers after it was suggested more could have been done to stop Letby committing some of her crimes.

Doctors at the Countess of Chester hospital first raised their suspicions in 2015. But the nurse was not reported to police until 2017, leaving her free to carry out more attacks. Indeed, hospital managers initially supported Letby, amid claims she was being victimised by her colleagues.

The parents of twin babies she attacked have said they felt “very, very let down”, and that they believe health bosses could have stopped the nurse taking “our joy, our happiness”.

On Friday, the Times reported that the head of the NHS in England was actively considering regulating health service managers in the aftermath of the case. Amanda Pritchard wrote to colleagues to say that, in the light of the nurse’s conviction, “we feel that now is the right time to look again at what benefits could be delivered through regulation”.

Pritchard added: “It is vital for the effective running of the NHS that directors are accountable for decisions they take. It is also a key driver of public confidence in local services that this is seen to be the case.”

Sir Julian Hartley, the chief executive of the group that represents health service bosses, NHS Providers, said: “We absolutely need full accountability of managers. We need to keep an open mind about how that should happen. Regulation of managers is one of the options on the table. First, though, we need the inquiry so that we can fully understand what happened and what actions need to be taken to prevent this in future.”

The DHSC said: “There are a number of systems and processes in place to ensure accountability of NHS directors. NHS England has recently strengthened these through the introduction of the Fit and Proper Person Framework, which includes a set of standard competencies for board directors, a means of retaining information regarding individual directors and a new board member reference template. We keep this policy under active review.”