Serial child killer Lucy Letby remains on the nursing register, with the process to strike her off potentially taking weeks or months, it emerged last night. A week after her trial ended, the murderous nurse is still listed under an 'interim suspension order' on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) website due to bureaucratic red tape.
The NMC stated there is no fast-track process to remove nurses convicted of heinous crimes, even those given whole life sentences. Despite Letby being the third killer nurse in recent decades, the body must follow 'statutory procedure', which includes a notice period and arranging a panel to decide on her fitness to practise. The NMC cannot strike nurses off itself; it must apply to an independent panel for such decisions.
Letby's convictions follow those of Beverley Allitt, who received 13 life sentences in 1993, and Victorino Chua, sentenced to life with a minimum term of 35 years in 2015. Letby was sacked from the Countess of Cheshire Hospital three years ago when she was charged, two years after her first arrest.
The NMC said its fitness to practise procedures are set out by legislation from 2001 and rules from 2004, including giving a nurse 28 days to respond to a case and 14 days' notice of a panel sitting. The case against Letby was paused during the criminal investigation but is now moving forward, with the NMC seeking to strike her off the register.
Lesley Maslen, Executive Director of Professional Regulation at the NMC, said: 'We've restarted our fitness to practise processes in relation to Lucy Letby, to enable us to put a case forward to an independent panel where we will be seeking to strike her off the NMC register. We're committed to progressing these actions, in line with our regulatory responsibilities, as quickly as possible.'
