Lucy Letby: Doctor cannot recall baby monitor error, trial told

Lucy Letby is accused of murdering seven babies and trying to kill 10 others

A doctor has told a court he "can't remember" failing to reattach a monitor to a baby who later had a collapse.

Manchester Crown Court heard the baby, referred to as Child G, deteriorated while under the care of nurse Lucy Letby on 21 September 2015.

Ms Letby, 32, has denied murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others between 2015 and 2016.

Dr John Gibbs said he could not recall the night, but agreed not reattaching a monitor would be "a serious error".

The court has previously heard that Child G was cannulated by doctors and placed on a Masimo monitor, a portable device that continually measures oxygen saturations and heart rate levels, at around 15:30 BST.

A nurse, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said that shortly after the procedure, Ms Letby shouted for help from the nursery where Child G was being cared for.

She said she saw Ms Letby, originally of Hereford, "responding appropriately" and using a resuscitator on the infant, but noticed the monitor had been switched off, which was "not normal protocol".

However, she refuted any suggestion Ms Letby had turned it off and said consultant paediatricians Dr Gibbs and Dr David Harkness had apologised to her for not switching the monitor back on after fitting the cannula.

'In a rush'

Dr Gibbs told the court he "can't remember" the events of 21 September, but said if the nurse had made those comments, "presumably that's what happened".

He said a monitor "shouldn't be" switched off during cannulation, but it was possible, adding that if a monitor's sensor was removed during cannulation, "it should be applied to some other part of the body".

Ben Myers KC, defending, put it to Dr Gibbs that he and Dr Harkness had left Child G behind a screen, detached from the monitor, and had failed to inform nursing staff.

Dr Gibbs repeatedly said he "can't remember" what happened, but agreed it would be a "serious error" to leave a baby in such circumstances.

He agreed that he could have been called to another emergency and may have been forced to leave Child G "in a rush", but said he could not remember.

The prosecution alleges Ms Letby overfed Child G with milk through a nasogastric tube or injected air into the same tube.

The court has heard the baby survived but suffered irreversible brain damage and was left with disabilities including quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

The trial continues.

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