Letby defiled her role, but she will never define her profession

The neonatal nurse’s appalling crimes will inevitably introduce fear and mistrust to what should be therapeutic relationships but trust will be rebuilt

Caring for premature babies in a neonatal unit is a highly complex and often heart-rending role that requires nurses to build close bonds with families.

Multidisciplinary teamwork is essential to ensure close monitoring and gentle nurturing mean the vast majority of their very young patients survive.

Lucy Letby, who is now serving a whole-life sentence for the murders of seven babies at the Countess of Chester hospital and the attempted murders of six more, operated under cover of trust.

She was perceived by colleagues to be ‘nice Lucy’ who helped everyone out, taking on extra shifts when needed and working as a seemingly competent nurse who could be relied upon. Yet when backs were turned she was betraying her colleagues’ and, of course, the infants’ families’ trust in the most abhorrent way.

Letby’s colleagues will need time and care to recover

Police have rightly praised the bravery of nurses and doctors who testified in the almost ten-month long trial.

While the verdict will come as something of a relief for those who worked with Letby, they will surely be experiencing mixed emotions. They are understood to be receiving mental health and other support, where necessary.

Aside from the inquiry and further police reviews, including at Liverpool Women’s Hospital where Letby had also worked, the fallout for the hospital, its neonatal nurses and unit, and the wider specialty will be felt for a long time. Recovery will be slow, and those nurses and their medical colleagues deserve tender care.

Public and parental trust in nurses must be rebuilt

The case will inevitably lead to questions from parents and some trepidation on their part about whether they can put their trust in nurses. This is both understandable and unfair.

Any trust that is lost will be restored because although Letby defiled her role in the most heinous way imaginable, she will never define her profession.

Flavia Munn is Nursing Standard editor