Letby case: NHS work should be externally reviewed regularly – GWC Mag

I welcome Dobson’s call for organisational change in light of the Lucy Letby case.1 The Countess of Chester Hospital accepted that serious concerns were justified only after external review. To help prevent the occurrence of similar tragedies in the future, external input and support should be a regular and inherent component of NHS work. There should be regular external accreditation of clinical services and, at an individual level, regular external peer review of each other’s work. Selection panels for senior NHS posts invariably have external representation. This should be obligatory and more substantive for disciplinary hearings and when whistleblowing concerns are being investigated. Surgery has had a national expert review panel (www.coress.org.uk) for several years to which patient safety adverse events are reported so that lessons can be learnt. Other medical disciplines should follow suit.We also need a wide ranging independent inquiry into whistleblowing in the NHS. The current guardian…