Kamis, 24 Agustus 2023

Immigration: Asylum backlog in UK hits record high, Home Office figures show - Sky News

The backlog of asylum claims in the UK has hit a new record high, according to Home Office figures.

A total of 175,457 people were waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application in the UK at the end of June 2023, up 44% at the end of June 2022 and the highest figure since current records began in 2010.

It means the total cost of the asylum has now reached £3.97bn a year - up by £1.85 billion in 2022/23, from £2.12 billion in 2021/22. In 2012/13, the total was £500.2 million.

The number of people waiting more than six months for an initial decision stood at 139,961 at the end of June, up 57% year-on-year from 89,231 and another record high.

In total, there were 134,046 cases being dealt with by the Home Office in relation to the 175,457 people waiting for an initial decision at the end of June 2023.

At the end of July 2023, the number of cases being handled had risen to 136,779 - but the data does not show how many people this related to.

The number of people lodging asylum claims has also risen to a two-decade high.

More on Conservatives

Some 78,768 applications were made in the year to June 2023 - again, there can be more than one person covered by each application.

This is 19% higher than the previous 12 months, and higher than the European migration crisis, where 36,546 applications were made in a 12-month period.

Stephen Kinnock, Labour's shadow immigration minister, said: "These new statistics set out in stark terms the complete chaos the Tories have created in the immigration and asylum system.

"The asylum backlog has reached a new record high, with 175,000 people now waiting for decisions. Only 1% of last year's 45,000 small boats cases have received a decision and the number of failed asylum seekers being returned is also down a whopping 70% since 2010. This is a disastrous record for the prime minister and home secretary.

"With this level of mismanagement, there is very little prospect of reducing the eye-wateringly high bill for hotel rooms for all those left in limbo, currently costing the British taxpayer £6 million a day."

There has also been a sharp rise in the number of worker visas issued in the past year compared to the previous 12 months.

The new statistics published by the Home Office also show a 63% rise in the number of people coming to the UK on work visas in the year to June 2023, compared to the year to June 2022 - meaning 538,887 arrived to work in the past year.

The number of study visas issued is up 34% to 657,208.

Both these figures include dependents brought into the UK on the programmes alongside the main visa holder.

Read more:
No job for many people arriving in UK on skilled worker visas
Plan to clamp down on illegal migration could spark 'perma-backlog'
More than 100,000 people have crossed Channel in small boats since records began

This means that 208,295 more people came to the UK on work visas in the 12 months to June 2023 and 165,968 more people entered on study visas.

It comes despite a Tory 2019 manifesto commitment to "bring overall numbers down".

The government has changed the law to mean that, from January 2024, people on student visas will no longer be able to bring dependents with them.

A sizeable proportion of those entering on work visas are health and care workers, for whom the government created a new pathway in 2020.

Jonathan Gullis, a Tory MP and member of the New Conservatives group, told Sky News: "I think a lot of people will rightly be concerned to see another huge rise in skilled worker visas particularly as the thresholds in education have been reduced, so we will probably be continuing to rely on cheap foreign labour into the future, whenever there is a shortage.

"We should be taking big businesses head on and forcing them to upskill young people and adults looking to retrain to develop our own workforce within the UK.

"Brexit for me was about taking back control of our borders. Not shutting off the world, that would be ludicrous, but looking in our own country and helping young people in places like the Midlands and the North to train up for these skilled jobs and deliver on our pledges from when we were elected in 2019."

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Skilled worker visa scam

Marley Morris, the Institute for Public Policy Research's associate director for migration, trade and communities, said: "The government is still far-off from getting on top of the asylum backlog. While the Home Office is bringing down the 'legacy backlog' of older cases, this is being offset by new applications from recent arrivals.

"Moreover, many of the most recent decisions by the Home Office are withdrawals rather than grants or refusals. In the long run, this could backfire on the government, as people whose applications are withdrawn end up being pushed underground or make fresh asylum claims.

"Once the government implements the Illegal Migration Act, this could make matters even worse. Even if the Rwanda scheme is ruled to be lawful by the Supreme Court, it is likely that the number of arrivals will outpace the number of removals, creating a growing 'perma-backlog' of asylum seekers trapped in limbo. This could cost the Home Office billions each year."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The unacceptable number of people risking their lives by making these dangerous crossings is placing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system."

According to the Migration Observatory, the Home Office's figures showed that only 41% of asylum seekers arrived by small boats - down on the previous year when it was 45% - but the overall number of applications rose.

The government spokesperson added: "Our priority is to stop the boats, and our Small Boats Operational Command is working alongside our French partners and other agencies to disrupt the people smugglers.

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"The government is going even further through our Illegal Migration Act which will mean that people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country."

Dr Peter William Walsh, senior researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford said: "Political debate has been hyper-focused on small boats, 90% of whom claim asylum. Yet in the year to June 2023, small boat arrivals made up only 41% of asylum claims - the remainder will have arrived in the UK via other routes."

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2023-08-24 12:02:51Z
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Lucy Letby: Killer nurse to be stripped of NHS pension after baby murders - The Independent

Live: Lucy Letby sentenced for murdering newborn babies at Chester hospital

Lucy Letby is set to be stripped of her NHS pension after her murderous rampage on the neonatal ward where she worked.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay is looking into all measures that prevent her pension from being paid to her, The Independent understands.

The NHS Pension Scheme Regulations allow him to forfeit pensions if NHS employees are convicted of crimes – particularly those that are “gravely injurious to the state or to be liable to lead to serious loss of confidence in the public service”.

Letby will spend the rest of her life in prison after being found guilty of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder six others, but she refused to appear in the dock to hear the sentence handed down on Monday.

It sparked widespread outrage with several British newspapers calling for a law change, arguing that the worst offenders “should be forced to appear in court to witness the impact of their crimes”.

Judge Mr Justice Goss said Letby would be sent written copies of the victim impact statements.

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The Lucy Letby case has exposed a justice system that is failing victims

The trial of the country’s most prolific child killer has raised fundamental questions about how we prosecute criminals – only a radical overhaul of the system will deliver justice for all, writes former chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal.

Martha Mchardy24 August 2023 13:30
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Probe into Lucy Letby murders ‘must be strengthened,’ says former UK victims’ commissioner

Dame Vera Baird KC, the UK’s former national victims’ commissioner, on Wednesday told The Independent the probe into failings surrounding the Lucy Letby baby murders must be strengthened.

Ms Baird said there “must be a duty of candour” and called for a “radical change of attitude” to victims in the Letby case.

“Poor grieving victims are treated as partisan and their views are downgraded. The scepticism of a complacent establishment,” she added.

<p>Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he is engaging with the families Lucy Letby’s victims (Cheshire Constabulary/PA))</p>

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he is engaging with the families Lucy Letby’s victims (Cheshire Constabulary/PA))

Martha Mchardy24 August 2023 13:00
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Watch: Mother recalls moment she found Lucy Letby standing over newborn baby’s cot

Mother recalls moment she found Lucy Letby standing over newborn baby's cot
Martha Mchardy24 August 2023 12:30
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Criminologists on why ‘nice’ nurse Lucy Letby became baby murderer

“It can’t be Lucy - not nice Lucy.”

These were the now-chilling words of a doctor faced with yet another devasting and inexplicable death of a baby on the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital.

But despite her “beige” appearance, it was Lucy Letby behind that and other deaths - a “cruel and calculating” killer of children, hiding in plain sight.

Now convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to kill six others, Letby has become the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history.

But despite being sentenced on Monday to a whole life order, questions linger about what led the 33 year-old to commit such appalling crimes. While her reasons may never be fully understood, prosecutors and other experts told jurors during her trial of several possible motivations.

Tara Cobham reports:

Martha Mchardy24 August 2023 10:00
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Lucy Letby’s former boss who ‘ignored concerns’ over killer nurse investigated by watchdog

Lucy Letby’s former boss, who has been accused of “ignoring” concerns about the serial killer nurse, is being investigated by the nursing watchdog.

Alison Kelly, who was director of nursing at the Countess of Chester Hospital before leaving in 2021, has been suspended from her current role as nursing director at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust in Salford.

Letby, Britain’s most prolific child serial killer, was on Monday handed a whole life prison sentence for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six more in 2015 and 2016 while working at the hospital.

Now, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has confirmed that her former boss, Ms Kelly, has been referred for a fitness to practise investigation.

Rebecca Thomas reports:

Martha Mchardy24 August 2023 09:30
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Editorial: Were suspicions about Lucy Letby ignored to prevent ‘reputational damage’ to the NHS?

The protection of patients should never be sacrificed to protect the image of a hospital. The NHS is a service, not a business.

Martha Mchardy24 August 2023 09:00
1692862203

Parents of Lucy Letby victims accuse former hospital director of ‘total fob off’

Parents of babies attacked by Lucy Letby received a “total fob off” from a hospital medical director after raising concerns, a lawyer representing them has said.

Ian Harvey was medical director at the Countess of Chester Hospital at the time the 33-year-old nurse carried out her crimes, murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others, but he retired in August 2018, a month after she was first arrested.

Richard Scorer, from law firm Slater and Gordon which is representing two of the families, accused Mr Harvey of a “shameful” failure to address parental concerns.

Read the full story:

Martha Mchardy24 August 2023 08:30
1692829809

The Lucy Letby case has exposed a justice system that is failing victims

Former chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal writes: Trust is the battle of our age. Institutions need it to fulfill their duties, but they seem to expect it rather than earn it. It’s no coincidence that the NHS is run by local “trusts” – but that’s just a word without them relentlessly upholding it.

The key issue is a lack of accountability. They appear to many to be above the law – nobody gets held responsible for failures. In fact, they often get promoted. There appears to be no regulation that applies to senior managers, the same way it does doctors and nursing staff.

Sam Rkaina23 August 2023 23:30
1692826209

Families should have ‘full confidence’ in Letby inquiry, says Barclay

The inquiry into serial killer Lucy Letby’s crimes will “fully investigate” how NHS whistleblowers were treated, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said.

Mr Barclay said he was engaging with the families affected by Letby’s “horrendous crimes” and that it was important that they had “full confidence” in the inquiry.

But he declined to say whether the inquiry would be given statutory footing, despite calls from a number of families involved.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Rob Behrens and former home secretary Jack Straw have joined those calling for an inquiry into Letby’s crimes to be given a statutory footing, which would mean witnesses would be compelled to attend to give evidence.

<p>Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he is engaging with the families Lucy Letby’s victims  </p>

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he is engaging with the families Lucy Letby’s victims

Sam Rkaina23 August 2023 22:30
1692822199

Watchdog backs Lucy Letby public inquiry and warns of need to root out NHS ‘culture of fear’

The health watchdog has joined calls for a full public inquiry into failings surrounding the Lucy Letby baby murders, warning that the NHS has a “culture of fear” in which leaders dismiss staff concerns.

The parliamentary health service ombudsman, Rob Behrens, has written to the health secretary warning that the culture of fear in NHS trusts is “not isolated” to the serial killer nurse’s hospital.

Letby, 33, Britain’s most prolific child killer, is serving a whole-life sentence for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six more between 2015 and 2016.

Following her conviction, reports surfaced that doctors had tried to raise concerns about her but their complaints were “ignored” by NHS executives at the Countess of Chester Hospital allowing her to continue her horrific killing spree.

Sam Rkaina23 August 2023 21:23

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2023-08-24 11:30:33Z
2352348889

Rabu, 23 Agustus 2023

NHS consultant strike: How pay compares globally - BBC

Picket line outside University College Hospital

Senior hospital doctors are taking part in their second strike of the year in England in a dispute over pay.

The two-day walkout begins at 07:00 BST with NHS bosses warning patients to expect significant disruption.

But as the strike begins, an analysis by the Nuffield Trust has shed fresh light on their pay levels.

It has found while salaries have not kept up with inflation, NHS senior doctors are still earning more than counterparts in a number of countries.

The analysis, which takes into account the cost of living in different countries, placed them above those in France, Spain and Italy as well as New Zealand.

But their pay was a little behind Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Chart showing global pay for senior doctors

Data was not available for either Australia or the US, which the think tank said limited the conclusions that could be drawn.

But they said the findings provided useful context in the ongoing debate about doctors' pay.

However, the BMA called it "unhelpful", saying pay was higher because of the amount of extra work NHS doctors were having to do.

Meanwhile, NHS England warned patients to expect major disruption during the two-day walkout.

Consultants will only provide Christmas Day cover, meaning that while emergency care will be provided, almost all routine care will come to a standstill.

"This latest action will again hit the NHS hard," said NHS England's Dr Vin Diwakar.

Patients who have appointments are being urged to attend though, unless they have been told otherwise.

GP services are not affected.

What are consultants paid?

Consultants have been given a 6% pay rise by the government this year - as recommended by the independent pay review body.

It brings their basic salary to between £93,00 and £126,000 depending on experience.

Consultant pay

But consultants also earn extra - about a quarter more - for things such as being on-call, additional hours and bonuses.

The analysis by the Nuffield Trust shows this pay - before any money made from private work - puts them in the top 2% of earners despite the years of below-inflation wage rises.

The British Medical Association says consultant pay has fallen by 35% since 2008 - but this is take-home pay once tax is taken off.

Tax policies over the past decade have meant higher earners pay more.

If total pay is used, the cut is smaller.

But the Nuffield Trust said this did not take into account the "upside" of above-inflation rises seen before then, pointing out that from the early 1990s doctors had enjoyed a decade or so of more generous pay rises.

The Nuffield Trust said it hoped the analysis would lead to a better-informed debate and that it was also important to remember pay was not the only factor behind the dispute, as issues affecting staff retention and wellbeing were also crucial.

What is happening next in dispute?

BMA consultants committee chairman Dr Vishal Sharma urged ministers to get round the negotiating table.

"No consultant wants to be striking, so we head out to picket lines with heavy hearts."

The BMA wants to see above-inflation pay rises to start to rectify the cuts seen over the past 15 years.

After this strike, there is a two-day walkout planned in September, and the union has now announced a three-day strike at the start of October.

But the government has said the pay award is final and there will be no more talks.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he was "concerned and disappointed" by the continuing strike action.

Junior doctors have been taking part in strike action since spring. The mandate expired this month, but the result of a fresh ballot is expected before the end of the month.

England is the only part of the UK where consultants are taking strike action. In Wales, the BMA is preparing to formally ballot members, while in Scotland, they are consulting with them.

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2023-08-24 04:06:58Z
2362798981

UK's first-ever womb transplant hailed by doctors as 'dawn of new era' in fertility treatment - Sky News

The first-ever womb transplant in the UK has been hailed as the "dawn of a new era" in fertility treatment.

A 40-year-old woman, who already had two children, decided to help her 34-year-old sister, who had been born without a uterus.

Now, six months on, the recipient is having periods and is preparing to eventually have her own embryos implanted, already created via IVF with her own eggs.

Surgeons perform the UK&#39;s first womb transplant. Pic: Womb Transplant UK
Image: Pic: Womb Transplant UK

Professor Richard Smith, one of two lead surgeons during the operations, said it had been a "massive success", describing the joy he shared with the sisters during a clinic one month on.

"We were all in tears - it was a very, very emotional," he said.

"I think it was probably the most stressful week of our surgical careers, but also unbelievably positive.

"The donor and recipient are just over the moon."

More from UK

The recipient lives in England, and she and her sister do not wish to be named.

The surgery was carried out one Sunday in early February at Oxford's Churchill Hospital by a team of more than 30 staff.

The operation to remove the donor's womb lasted more than eight hours.

Surgeons perform the UK&#39;s first womb transplant. Pic: Womb Transplant UK
Image: Pic: Womb Transplant UK

Before the uterus was taken out, surgeons had already begun operating on her younger sister and after a further nine hours and 20 minutes, the transplant was complete.

The surgery was funded by Womb Transplant UK at a cost of £25,000, which included paying the NHS for theatre time and the patients' hospital stay.

Surgeons and medical staff were not paid for their time.

"I'm just really happy that we've got a donor, who is completely back to normal after her big op, and the recipient is… doing really well on her immunosuppressive therapy and looking forward to hopefully having a baby," said Prof Smith, who is the charity's clinical lead.

The transplant is expected to last for a maximum of five years before the womb will be removed.

'Remarkable achievement'

The chair of the British Fertility Society, Dr Raj Mathur, described it as "a remarkable achievement".

"I think it's the dawn of a new age, a new era in treating these patients," said the consultant gynaecologist.

For a field that moves slowly - this is an incredible technical achievement

Tom Clarke

Science and technology editor

@aTomClarke

The first womb transplant in the UK is an incredible technical achievement.

And given the success of transplants elsewhere in the world, offers hope for women and couples who want to be biological parents but for whom surrogacy is not an option.

Currently, the procedure can only benefit women who have functioning ovaries, but not a womb.

This represents around 1 in 5,000 women in the UK.

Numerous factors mean this is likely to be a field that moves slowly – at least as things currently stands.

Trans women, for example, are entitled to equivalent care under Gender Equality Act.

But for the time being, transplanting a womb into a genetically XY person isn’t “technically feasible,” according to the team behind this work.

Read analysis in full

"You have got to remember some of these patients are the most difficult fertility situations that you can imagine - they are either born without a uterus or they have lost the uterus for reasons of cancer or other problems, for instance in labour.

"Up until now we have really not had any way of helping them other than surrogacy."

Read more:
New 'game-changing' cancer treatment approved
Babies in womb 'smile for carrots and cry at greens'
Pollution 'can damage babies in womb'

Isabel Quiroga, consultant surgeon at the Oxford Transplant Centre, and fellow lead during the operations, said they had been ready to attempt the first transplant before the pandemic.

"We are just delighted that this day has come," she said.

"The whole team worked extremely well - it was an incredibly proud moment."

Surgical team. Pic: Womb Transplant UK
Image: The surgical team. Pic: Womb Transplant UK

For now, the plan is to focus on living donations from a relative with up to 30 transplants a year, but many women have come forward to offer their wombs.

"We have women contacting the charity… such as young women who say: 'I don't want to have children, but I would love to help others have a child' or 'I've already had my children I would love other women to have that experience'," said Miss Quiroga.

Other countries, including Sweden and US, have already carried out womb transplants, ultimately resulting in successful births.

A second UK womb transplant on another woman is scheduled to take place this autumn, with more patients in the preparation stages.

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2023-08-23 06:03:26Z
2368360902

Selasa, 22 Agustus 2023

UK's first-ever womb transplant hailed by doctors as 'dawn of new era' in fertility treatment - Sky News

The first-ever womb transplant in the UK has been hailed as the "dawn of a new era" in fertility treatment.

A 40-year-old woman, who already had two children, decided to help her 34-year-old sister, who had been born without a uterus.

Now, six months on, the recipient is having periods and is preparing to eventually have her own embryos implanted, already created via IVF with her own eggs.

Surgeons perform the UK&#39;s first womb transplant. Pic: Womb Transplant UK
Image: Pic: Womb Transplant UK

Professor Richard Smith, one of two lead surgeons during the operations, said it had been a "massive success", describing the joy he shared with the sisters during a clinic one month on.

"We were all in tears - it was a very, very emotional," he said.

"I think it was probably the most stressful week of our surgical careers, but also unbelievably positive.

"The donor and recipient are just over the moon."

More from UK

The recipient lives in England, and she and her sister do not wish to be named.

The surgery was carried out one Sunday in early February at Oxford's Churchill Hospital by a team of more than 30 staff.

The operation to remove the donor's womb lasted more than eight hours.

Surgeons perform the UK&#39;s first womb transplant. Pic: Womb Transplant UK
Image: Pic: Womb Transplant UK

Before the uterus was taken out, surgeons had already begun operating on her younger sister and after a further nine hours and 20 minutes, the transplant was complete.

The surgery was funded by Womb Transplant UK at a cost of £25,000, which included paying the NHS for theatre time and the patients' hospital stay.

Surgeons and medical staff were not paid for their time.

"I'm just really happy that we've got a donor, who is completely back to normal after her big op, and the recipient is… doing really well on her immunosuppressive therapy and looking forward to hopefully having a baby," said Prof Smith, who is the charity's clinical lead.

The transplant is expected to last for a maximum of five years before the womb will be removed.

'Remarkable achievement'

The chair of the British Fertility Society, Dr Raj Mathur, described it as "a remarkable achievement".

"I think it's the dawn of a new age, a new era in treating these patients," said the consultant gynaecologist.

"You have got to remember some of these patients are the most difficult fertility situations that you can imagine - they are either born without a uterus or they have lost the uterus for reasons of cancer or other problems, for instance in labour.

"Up until now we have really not had any way of helping them other than surrogacy."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Surgeons perform UK's first womb transplant

Read more: New 'game-changing' treatment approved for advanced womb cancer
Babies in womb 'smile for carrots and cry at greens'
Pollution 'can reach babies in womb and could damage developing organs'

Isabel Quiroga, consultant surgeon at the Oxford Transplant Centre, and fellow lead during the operations, said they had been ready to attempt the first transplant before the pandemic.

"We are just delighted that this day had come," she said.

"The whole team worked extremely well - it was an incredibly proud moment."

Surgical team. Pic: Womb Transplant UK
Image: The surgical team. Pic: Womb Transplant UK

For now, the plan is to focus on living donations from a relative with up to 30 transplants a year, but many women have come forward to offer their wombs.

"We have women contacting the charity… such as young women who say: 'I don't want to have children, but I would love to help others have a child' or 'I've already had my children I would love other women to have that experience'," said Miss Quiroga.

Other countries, including Sweden and US, have already carried out womb transplants, ultimately resulting in successful births.

A second UK womb transplant on another woman is scheduled to take place this autumn, with more patients in the preparation stages.

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2023-08-23 01:43:43Z
2368360902

Lucy Letby: NHS managers must be held to account, whistleblower doctor says - BBC

Portrait of Dr Stephen Brearey, wearing glasses and a blue shirt, looking directly at the camera

Hospital managers should be regulated in a similar way to doctors and nurses, the senior doctor who first raised concerns about Lucy Letby has said.

Dr Stephen Brearey was the lead consultant on the neonatal unit where serial killer Letby worked and raised the alarm in October 2015.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there was "no apparent accountability" for what NHS managers do in trusts.

Letby was handed a whole life sentence on Monday at Manchester Crown Court.

She murdered seven babies and attempted to murder six others in a neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital, in Cheshire.

The first five murders in all happened between June and October 2015 and - despite months of warnings - the final two were in June 2016.

In the BBC interview, Dr Brearey claimed senior staff at the Countess of Chester Hospital were worried about reputational damage to the organisation.

He said that instead of acting on his warnings he and his colleagues' lives were made very difficult - so much so that they felt under attack.

And he claimed his experience was not uncommon in the NHS.

The consultant added: "Doctors and nurses all have the regulatory bodies that we have to answer to, and quite often we'll see senior managers who have no apparent accountability for what they do in our trusts and then move to other trusts."

Dr Brearey said he worries about senior managers' future actions, adding that "there doesn't seem to be any system to make them accountable, and for them to justify their actions in a systematic way".

He also said he did not consider himself a whistleblower, but "I was simply trying to escalate concerns that all my colleagues shared, of a spike in mortality, an association with a member of staff, the unusual nature of these events, and the unusual timing of these events.

"We had reviewed all the cases on multiple occasions with an external expert and put all those concerns on paper and I felt really I was following a process rather than speaking out."

In a statement, an NHS spokesperson said: "It is absolutely vital that everyone working in the NHS feels they can raise concerns and that these are acted on and we have reminded NHS leaders about the importance of this following the verdict last week."

They added that every NHS trust is expected to adopt an updated Freedom To Speak Up policy, and ensure the information is easily accessible to staff.

On Friday, the government announced an independent inquiry into the events surrounding the Letby case.

Dr Brearey has said that given the "magnitude of the events that occurred" and the impact Letby's crimes have had on so many families, the inquiry should be judge led and have statutory powers - so witnesses can be forced to give evidence if needed. It is "clearly what the parents deserve," he added.

Currently, the inquiry that has been announced is non-statutory, meaning it has lesser powers.

Separately, calls are growing for the government to change the law to compel convicts to attend sentencing. Letby refused to turn up in the dock at Manchester Crown Court on Monday.

The judge proceeded without her and addressed her as if she were in the dock.

Letby was given multiple whole-life terms - one for each offence - becoming only the fourth woman in UK history to receive the sentence of whole life order. The trial lasted for more than 10 months and is believed to be the longest murder trial in the UK.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it was "cowardly that people who commit such horrendous crimes do not face their victims".

BBC Panorama and BBC News investigated how Letby was able to murder and harm so many babies for so long. The 33-year-old deliberately injected babies with air, force fed others milk and poisoned two of the infants with insulin.

The BBC investigation found that the hospital's top manager demanded the doctors write an apology to Letby and told them to stop making allegations against her.

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2023-08-22 06:36:30Z
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Edinburgh Fringe funniest joke: Lorna Rose Treen's zookeeper pun - BBC

Lorna Rose TreenRobert Perry/PinPep

A joke about an unfaithful zookeeper has been named the funniest gag at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Comedian Lorna Rose Treen was voted the winner with her pun: "I started dating a zookeeper, but it turned out he was a cheetah."

The Dave's Funniest Joke of the Fringe is chosen by members of the public from a shortlist drawn up by judges.

The zookeeper one-liner was ranked among the best by 44% of those surveyed.

Lorna is the first female comedian to win the accolade since Zoe Lyons at the very first Fringe joke award in 2008.

She described herself as "blooming chuffed" at learning her joke was the winner.

"A huge thank you for awarding my stupid joke with this title!" she said.

A University of Edinburgh graduate and former BBC production trainee, Lorna has also spent time at clown school in Paris.

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Top 10 jokes of the 2023 Fringe

  1. I started dating a zookeeper, but it turned out he was a cheetah - Lorna Rose Treen
  2. The most British thing I've ever heard? A lady who said 'Well I'm sorry, but I don't apologise.' - Liz Guterbock
  3. Last year I had a great joke about inflation. But it's hardly worth it now - Amos Gill
  4. When women gossip we get called bitchy; but when men do it's called a podcast - Sikisa
  5. I thought I'd start off with a joke about The Titanic - just to break the ice - Masai Graham
  6. How do coeliac Germans greet each other? Gluten tag - Frank Lavender
  7. My friend got locked in a coffee place overnight. Now he only ever goes into Starbucks, not the rivals. He's Costa-phobic - Roger Swift
  8. I entered the 'How not to surrender' competition and I won hands down - Bennett Arron
  9. Nationwide must have looked pretty silly when they opened their first branch - William Stone
  10. My grandma describes herself as being in her "twilight years" which I love because they're great films - Daniel Foxx
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Originally from the West Midlands, Lorna has won several comedy awards elsewhere, and been billed as "the greatest thing to come out of Redditch since the fishing tackle", a reference to the town's history of angling equipment manufacture.

Now based in London, her multi-character show Skin Pigeon is her Edinburgh Fringe debut. She told BBC News her joke is delivered by a "film noir character with a mouth full of cigarettes".

"She's basically turned up a bar at about 4am and she's telling all these bar keepers - who are my audience - about her life, and that's one of the things she says."

Lorna Rose Treen

The Joke of the Fringe Award is now in its 14th year, with last year's winner Masai Graham a runner up in this year's contest.

Previous winners also include Ken Cheng, Olaf Falafel, Tim Vine, Rob Auton, Stewart Francis, Zoe Lyons and Nick Helm.

A panel of comedy critics attend hundreds of shows, listening out for the best jokes before drawing up a shortlist of 10 favourites.

The jokes are then voted on anonymously by 2,000 members of the public who are asked to select their top three.

The Edinburgh Fringe is the world's biggest performance art festival, taking place over three weeks every year in August.

This year's event had 3,535 shows registered across across 248 venues, close to the record number seen in 2019 before the Covid pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 festival.

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2023-08-22 05:09:13Z
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