Lucy Letby to be struck off the register

Andrea Sutcliffe, NMC Chief Executive and Registrar, said:

“The thoughts and sympathies of everyone at the NMC remain with the parents, families and children whose lives have been so terribly impacted by Lucy Letby's heinous and heart-breaking crimes.

“As soon as there was a verdict in the criminal trial, we moved forward with our own fitness to practise proceedings as quickly as possible, and we can confirm that an independent panel has today ordered that Ms Letby be struck off the register.

“This will take effect in January when Ms Letby will cease to be a registered nurse. In the meantime, she remains under interim suspension from the register.”

Further background

When will the strike-off take effect?

The NMC will send Ms Letby a letter confirming the panel’s decision. She then has 28 days to appeal, should she choose to do so. If no appeal is received, the strike-off will take effect. Ms Letby remains under an interim suspension order during this period.

Could this hearing have happened sooner?

Our case for Lucy Letby was paused while the criminal investigation rightly took precedence. As soon as there was a verdict, we moved forward in seeking to strike her off the register.

Our regulatory processes are guided by strict legislation, which sets out a process we must follow before we can impose a sanction, for example striking somebody off the register. This includes certain notice periods we need to allow for – we’ve followed this process as quickly as possible.

Why did there need to be a hearing to strike her off?

The legislation that guides our regulatory processes means there needs to be a meeting or hearing where an independent panel makes a final decision.

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