Thirlwall Inquiry
Statutory inquiry into events at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2018, following the conviction of neonatal nurse Lucy Letby for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of others.
Read the full description
Statutory inquiry into events at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2018, following the conviction of neonatal nurse Lucy Letby for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of others. Ordered as a non-statutory inquiry on 18 August 2023; statutory footing announced 30 August 2023 and confirmed to Parliament 4 September 2023; formally set up 19 October 2023; public hearings opened 10 September 2024 and concluded March 2025. Final report published 15 September 2026 in three volumes with 17 recommendations (Volume III, Part Three, Chapter 45). The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care made an oral statement to the Commons the same day and said the government will set out a full response.
Where it stands
Public hearings were held on 63 days between May 2024 and March 2025. Thirlwall Inquiry Final Report was published on 15 September 2026. The most recent government response on the record is Government response to the Thirlwall Inquiry, dated 15 September 2026. 5 of the 17 recommendations tracked here have no government response on the record yet.
Reports & recommendations
All 17 recommendations →Government response
Latest statement by addressee
"No statement found" means none was found in the sources searched, last checked 2 October 2026. Each figure is the latest statement from the body the recommendation is addressed to. Other bodies’ findings are shown on each recommendation and do not change these figures.
How to read this
Government Response tracks what the government said it would do (accepted, rejected, etc.).
Awaiting a government response 5
All 5 →Latest evidence
All 1847 documents →Costs
Derived sum of three published FY costs to Mar 2026; not official cumulative/final
Source and qualifications
Accounting period: 4 Sep 2023 to 31 Mar 2026.
Derived sum of three published FY costs to Mar 2026; not official cumulative/final
Breakdown and notes
Cost breakdown (to Mar 2026)
Cost history (6 reports)
| Period | Total | Inquiry Legal | CP Legal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | £2,651,000 | £1,024,000 | £4,000 |
Inquiry-published FY2025/26 expenditure, full year; not a final inquiry total Source and qualificationsAccounting period: 1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026. Inquiry-published FY2025/26 expenditure, full year; not a final inquiry total |
| Mar 2026 (cum.) | £18,583,000 | - | - |
Derived sum of three published FY costs to Mar 2026; not official cumulative/final Source and qualificationsAccounting period: 4 Sep 2023 to 31 Mar 2026. Derived sum of three published FY costs to Mar 2026; not official cumulative/final |
| Sep 2025 | £1,345,000 | £503,000 | £2,000 |
6M 2025-26 (Apr - Sep 2025) Source and qualificationsAccounting period: 1 Apr 2025 to 30 Sep 2025. Report writing period. No hearings. Report publication expected after Easter 2026. All figures rounded to nearest £000, exclude VAT.
|
| Sep 2025 (cum.) | £17,277,000 | £8,599,000 | £3,107,000 |
Cumulative expenditure Sep 2023 - Sep 2025 Source and qualificationsAccounting period: 4 Sep 2023 to 30 Sep 2025. Statutory inquiry into events at the Countess of Chester Hospital following conviction of Lucy Letby. Established 19 Oct 2023. Chaired by Lady Justice Thirlwall. Funded by DHSC. Hearings Sep 2024 - Jan 2025. Report expected after Easter 2026. Inquiry Legal = Counsel + Solicitor/paralegals + Experts. CP Legal = Family legal fees + non-CP legal assisting. Staff = Secretariat + Chair. Hearings = venue + AV + other. Technology = IT + Media + Office accommodation. Other = Emotional support + Publication + Admin/travel. All figures rounded to nearest £000, exclude VAT.
|
| Mar 2025 | £13,098,000 | £5,745,000 | £2,877,000 |
FY2024/25 figures re-published in FY2025/26 Inquiry report; category mapping corrected Source and qualificationsAccounting period: 1 Apr 2024 to 31 Mar 2025. The Inquiry FY25/26 report reproduces FY2024/25 total £13,098k. Mapped visible £000 components: secretariat 749 to staff; chair 452 to panel; counsel 1,983 plus solicitor 3,762 to inquiry legal 5,745; family legal fees 2,877 to core-participant legal; office 153 plus hearing venue 245 to accommodation 398; IT 601 plus hearing AV 1,274 to technology 1,875; experts 211, non-core-participant legal 12, emotional support 194, media 226, hearing other 344 and administration 15 to other 1,002. Safeguarding stays NULL: the source does not identify support beneficiaries for this schema. The mapped categories sum to the published £13,098k. Values are rounded to nearest £000, exclude VAT, and are not accountant-compiled accounts. Only category/source/notes fields are corrected; original period and £13,098,000 total remain.
FY2024/25 figures re-published in FY2025/26 Inquiry report; category mapping corrected |
| Mar 2024 | £2,834,000 | £2,139,000 | £216,000 |
FY2023/24 figures re-published in FY2025/26 Inquiry report; category mapping corrected Source and qualificationsAccounting period: 4 Sep 2023 to 31 Mar 2024. The Inquiry FY25/26 report reproduces the FY2023/24 table: total £2,834k for 4 September 2023–31 March 2024. Mapped visible components in £000: secretariat 168 to staff, chair 133 to panel, counsel 742 plus solicitor 1,397 to inquiry legal 2,139, family legal fees 216 to core-participant legal, IT 133 to technology, and emotional support 27 plus media 16 plus administration 2 to other 45. Office accommodation is a dash, so the field is NULL; safeguarding remains NULL because beneficiaries of emotional support are not specified. The rounded outer Legal costs subtotal 2,356 differs by £1k from its rounded components 742+1,397+216=2,355; component-based categories and published total are retained without inventing £1k. Source values are rounded to nearest £000, exclude VAT, and are not accountant-compiled accounts. Only category/source/notes fields are corrected; original period and £2,834,000 total remain.
FY2023/24 figures re-published in FY2025/26 Inquiry report; category mapping corrected |