My letter to Rt Hon Steve Barclay following the Lucy Letby case

Dear Rt Hon Steve Barclay, I hope this letter finds you well during these ever busy-times.

I am writing to ask for a Patient Trust Restoration Strategy from the centre to enable the NHS innovation community to support patients, our workforce and our global reputation, following the events of the Lucy Letby case.

I am a new father, NHS Doctor and Clinical Entrepreneur and digital health innovator. I have been asked many times this week on my views on the Lucy Letby case, and I have been so moved by my reflections that I felt compelled to contact you with my thoughts, and more importantly, my concerns.

Firstly, as a father (and a human) I cannot fathom the pain that has been inflicted on those affected by these events. My thoughts are with them.

As a Doctor, I have always taken great pride in perhaps the only remaining continuum across our National Health Service - our people. They are committed, compassionate and trustworthy. Now, one of the most notorious killers in British modern history was an NHS employee and almost overnight the nation has lost their faith in those values. This is the start of a new ERA for the care provider-patient relationship.

I am therefore deeply concerned about the future. I believe we are in the eve of a disastrous shift in healthcare provision - from body cams, continuous surveillance and patients secretly recording us, to coroners being constantly at capacity, and some of the largest litigation spends globally. Electronic patient records are not geared to capture enough data, our staff do not have time to capture enough evidence and with our workforce already at breaking point, I am terrified that Ms Letby has just dealt this camel it's final straw.

I am about to go on vacation, and my mind will no doubt be polluted by thinking about new and innovative ways to support the rebuilding of trust for our patient's using technology without infringing on their privacy. I would welcome your involvement in this journey as someone who I know cares as much about rebuilding these relationships as I do. The NHS harbours a group of individuals who will support you in reconnecting the people of our healthcare industry, and therefore I need your strategic support to enable this.

Yours Sincerely,

Dr Michael Watts MBChB MBA BSc (Hons)

Father

NHS Doctor

NHSE Clinical Entrepreneur and NIA Fellow