A Letby effect? Nurses’ fears of being tarred with the same brush

Mental health helpline takes record number of nurse calls with bullying at work, cost of living crisis and black cloud left by Letby case being commonest themes

The record number of nurses seeking a helpline’s mental health support is likely to be fallout of the Lucy Letby case, says a charity.

The Laura Hyde Foundation said there is concern the nurse serial killer’s trial last year ‘tarred many excellent nurses and midwives with the same brush’ leading to them feeling they’re suspected of criminality.

The charity, which runs an NHS support line, received a record 3,334 calls from nurses in 2023, up 53.2% on the previous year.

• RELATED: Big rise in nurses attempting to take their own lives

Nurses use helpline to discuss Letby legacy as well as bullying and money worries

Children’s nurse Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill another six at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016. She was sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison, in August last year.

• RELATED: Nurse Lucy Letby guilty of murdering seven babies

Foundation chair Liam Barnes said the charity saw a surge in callers seeking support in 2023. The highest proportion were nurses, followed by midwives (3,074), medical students (2,278), doctors (966). He said the most common themes in nurses’ calls were bullying at work, the cost of living crisis and the ‘black cloud’ left by the Letby case.

Mr Barnes said: ‘Our emergency services workers are people that often do the work for the simple love of helping people, a cornerstone of our NHS. Given their relatively low pay and long working hours, it is their unwavering desire to try and help people that gives them their job satisfaction and then that is questioned, it often has dire consequences.

• RELATED: Suicide study will unpick why female nurses are at higher risk

‘For example, well publicised cases such as Lucy Letby have seemingly tarred many excellent nurses and midwives with the same brush as they are suspected of criminal behaviour by the public without any evidence.

‘Understandably, this often causes significant stress to the individual, their colleagues and family. At the Laura Hyde Foundation, we are supporting the largest number of nurses in our history right now.’

Prevalence of suicidal thoughts and self-harming among healthcare charity clients

Last year, the foundation was contacted 11,119 times by emergency service workers, up from 7,288 in 2022 and 5,422 in 2021. More than half of callers – 5,815 – said they had experienced suicidal thoughts or harmed themselves.

• RELATED: Hundreds of nurses who called charity helpline during pandemic had attempted suicide

Gemma Clay, a nurse and clinical doctorate fellow at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, said the figures come as no surprise.

‘I have seen an increase in nursing staff looking at taking early retirement or some leaving nursing altogether due to the impact work is having on their mental health.’

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