Unsuspicious babies died under Letby’s watch because she worked too much overtime, says ward manager

Speaking to the inquest, she said: “When we were busy she worked overtime so she was there more often.

“There were a lot of part-time employees, so they were (there) less. But she was there more often, working full time and overtime.”

She added: “The question I was asked every time was: what is the evidence?

“I have no proof. Nobody saw anything. She works overtime, it is the common element in a growing mortality.

“Nobody saw anything, nobody heard anything. At the time there was no evidence of any wrongdoing. I hadn’t seen anything. No one else reported seeing anything.

Powell also said she experienced spikes in deaths at the unit in the 1990s, when the hospital began accepting much younger babies.

Letby was convicted of murdering seven children and attempting to murder seven others while working at the Countess of Chester in 2015 and 2016.