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April 2026: Thirlwall Inquiry final report due after Easter · CCRC still reviewing 31+ independent expert reports · Shoo Lee Panel (Feb 2025): no medical evidence of deliberate harm.

Lucy Letby Facts
Inquiry witness evidence — summary + excerpts
·Dr Elizabeth Newby; Thirlwall Inquiry

Dr Elizabeth Newby — witness evidence (Thirlwall Inquiry)

Dr Elizabeth Newby, consultant paediatrician, gave extensive Thirlwall Inquiry evidence on the consultants' 2016 escalation, the 'apology letter' sequence, and the specific meetings at which executives treated the consultants' concerns as an HR issue rather than a patient-safety issue.

Last updated
16 min read

Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0

Original source: thirlwall.inquiry.gov.uk

Mirrored on this site:

Crown Copyright. Mirrored under the Open Government Licence v3.0 with attribution.

Context

Dr Elizabeth Newby, consultant paediatrician, gave extensive Thirlwall Inquiry evidence on the consultants’ 2016 escalation and on the specific sequence that led to her being required to sign an apology letter to Letby.

Key passages

Dr Elizabeth Newby

I was required to write and sign a letter apologising to a member of staff I had, in good faith, raised patient-safety concerns about. I was told that if I did not, my own professional position was at risk. I signed it, and I regret signing it, and I will regret signing it for the rest of my career.
Thirlwall Inquiry witness evidence, Autumn 2024

Dr Elizabeth Newby

I believe what I was being told at the time was, in substance, that the Trust’s reputational interest came before our patient-safety concerns. I do not think I can be accused of overstating that at this distance. The documentary record is clear.
Thirlwall Inquiry

Read alongside

Dr Brearey, Sue Hodkinson (HR), Tony Chambers (CEO).

Related on this site

Attribution and licence

Contains public-sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Original source: thirlwall.inquiry.gov.uk . Mirrored on this site on 2026-04-21.