The former chief executive of the hospital where Lucy Letby killed seven babies has denied engaging in “totally reprehensible behaviour” to prevent doctors’ concerns about the nurse from going public.

Tony Chambers went on to give evidence at the public inquiry into how the former nurse Letbywhich serves 15 life sentences for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of seven more, he was able to carry out his crimes at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Yesterday, Mr Chambers offered an apology to families who had been victims of Letby and said his language was “leftist” telling the murderous nurse that the hospital had her “back”.

Senior doctors told the Thirlwall inquiry they felt their concerns that Letby was deliberately harming children were not taken seriously enough by directors.

“I should have done better”

In the second day of evidence, Mr Chambers denied discussing the details of the case with a colleague on a public train.

He also denied discussing ruining the consultants’ careers and reporting to the General Medical Council if they refused to “move on” from their concerns about Letby.

He told the inquest: “My character is such that we have always focused on the safety of our patients and the welfare of our staff.”

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On the hospital’s failure to fulfill its duty of candor to the parents, he added: “I absolutely admitted that I was wrong. We could have done better, we should have done better. We should have I’m doing better.”

Mr Chambers was asked by Richard Baker KC, representing some of the children’s families, whether the directors took the consultants’ expertise seriously about their concerns about Letby.

Mr Chambers said: “They were our experts, they were our doctors and they were the closest to these issues.

“But equally, what they were presenting, I think it would have been clear in their minds that they were making out, but in truth it was never as explicit as that. It was pretty much implied.

“So it felt like we had to try to determine the causes because we understood from history that it wasn’t always a simple thing,” he said, adding, “It was always multifactorial.”

Mr Baker said: “You sought at every stage to block and prevent the police being called or this being made public and ultimately you sought to ruin the careers of the consultants who brought this to your attention.

“Now that’s absolutely reprehensible and inappropriate behavior from a CEO in the NHS, isn’t it?”

Mr Chambers replied: “If that was what I would have done then it would be. But I think it’s an outrageous statement and I don’t think it represents my actions.”

Letby is serving a life sentence for the murders committed between June 2015 and June 2016 while working as a nurse in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

The inquiry led by Mrs Justice Thirlwall will hear evidence until the start of the new year before issuing a report next autumn.