Jeremy Hunt Apologizes for Delayed Implementation of NHS Medical Examiners

Former health secretary acknowledges responsibility for failures that could have prevented Lucy Letby’s crimes, citing delays in adopting critical reforms.

Jeremy Hunt, former UK health secretary, apologized to the families of Lucy Letby’s victims during the Thirlwall Inquiry, acknowledging his ultimate responsibility for the NHS at the time of her crimes.
Hunt admitted that delays in implementing a medical examiner system, first proposed in 2004, hindered the early detection of Letby’s murders of seven babies and attempted murders of seven more between 2015 and 2016.
The medical examiner system, designed to independently review deaths not investigated by coroners, was only fully rolled out in England and Wales in September 2023 after Hunt pushed for its funding as chancellor.
Hunt emphasized the system’s importance in identifying patterns of malicious harm and addressing bereaved families’ concerns, stating that earlier adoption could have helped prevent such tragedies.
The Thirlwall Inquiry, which began in September 2024, is examining systemic failures in the NHS and is expected to release its final report by the end of 2025.