Nurses’ Statement to All Healthcare Unions: Advocating Against Miscarriages of Justice in Healthcare

We are a collective of nurses, writing to you from the heart of our profession. At NineteenNurses.com, we stand united in our deep concern over what many in the nursing and wider healthcare community believe to be an unsafe conviction in the case of Lucy Letby.

Let us be absolutely clear: every life lost in the care of the NHS is a tragedy. Families deserve answers, and accountability must always be sought where there is wrongdoing. But in this case, we are witnessing something far more alarming—a nurse imprisoned without clear forensic evidence, based largely on circumstantial claims and disputed expert testimony. It is not just Lucy Letby’s liberty at stake, but the very foundation of trust and safety for nurses working across the UK.

Nurses have always been the voice of the patient—their advocate, their protector, their constant. We have spoken up to ensure safety, raised concerns when systems fail, and challenged practices that put patients at risk. But now, in the wake of this conviction, that voice is being silenced. Nurses are afraid.

We are being told, in no uncertain terms, that if something goes wrong, despite best efforts, despite systemic failure, we may be the ones held criminally responsible. That even in high-risk, unpredictable environments like neonatal intensive care, outcomes that are out of our control can be framed as personal failings. This isn’t justice. This is scapegoating.

The duty of candour, a principle we have upheld with pride, is being dangerously undermined. Nurses are second-guessing their clinical judgement, hesitating to speak openly, and in many cases, are afraid to raise concerns, not because they don’t care, but because they fear being punished for telling the truth.

Many who question the fairness of this conviction are being silenced—gagged by professional pressure, fear of disciplinary action and the chilling reality that advocating for truth could end their careers. But we refuse to be silent. Speaking up for one nurse is speaking up for us all.

We are calling on the UK’s healthcare unions to urgently recognise what this case represents: a profound threat to the safety of both staff and patients.

We demand a truly independent review into this case, free from institutional bias and media influence.

We ask our unions to stand with us in protecting the profession from the weaponisation of blame in a system already buckling under immense strain.

Letby’s case is not an isolated fear—it has sent shockwaves through our community. If a nurse can be convicted in such a manner, without irrefutable evidence, then any nurse could be next.

Let this be a turning point—not towards fear and silence, but towards truth, accountability, and justice that protects both patients and the professionals who care for them. If you share our concerns, please consider signing up to our mailing list or write to your union to voice your support.

We are Nineteen Nurses with hundreds of members. And we will not stay silent.