Allitt inquiry

EDITOR, - We were disappointed to read Clare Dyer's article on the inquiry into the murders of children by nurse Beverly Allitt.1 We believe that Dyer portrayed us unfairly by highlighting all the criticisms made about us in the report. It is unlikely that many busy medical professionals will get a chance to read the report in detail; thus the abstracts and the comments presented must be balanced and fair. In the report the panel praised our clinical skills and dedication, our “high standard of teaching and training” of junior doctors and nurses, and the “high standard of [our] record keeping.” The panel also commended us for saving, through our “skill and persistence,” some babies who would otherwise have “suffered death or permanent injury.”

Sir Cecil Clothier and Mrs Virginia Bottomley stated publicly that no individual person is to be blamed or scapegoated, yet we seem to be the victims of some of the publicity since the inquiry.