Midwives left vulnerable by Letby legacy

Professionals 'tarred by same brush'

- Karen Rockett 

THE SHOCKING case of serial child killer Lucy Letby is thought to be behind a huge rise in midwives seeking help for mental health support, according to a leading charity.

The Laura Hyde Foundation, which offers support to frontline NHS staff, says the court case has made many "excellent midwives" feel they are being "tarred with the same brush".

It has revealed exclusively to the Sunday Express that it received 3,074 calls from midwives last year a threefold increase from 2022 when there were 1,402 calls.

The foundation says the Letby case was partly behind the rise in requests for help.

Former neo-natal nurse Letby was convicted last August of the murder of seven babies at the Countess Chester Hospital.

She was also guilty of found seven counts of attempted murder relating to six other babies in a lengthy trial that horrified the nation.