Home
News
Lucy Letby inquiry: what are ‘cot cams’ and could they be introduced in neonatal units?

Lucy Letby inquiry: what are ‘cot cams’ and could they be introduced in neonatal units?

Cot cams could be introduced in neonatal units after the Lucy Letby inquiry exposed serious NHS safeguarding failures.

Nenov / Getty Images

Ruairidh Pritchard

Published: September 16, 2026 at 12:08 PM

Save

Parents with babies in neonatal care could see cameras introduced around hospital cots as part of new government plans to strengthen safety and safeguarding in the NHS.

The announcement follows the publication of Lady Justice Thirlwall’s final report into events surrounding Lucy Letby at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

As we reported in our full story on the Lucy Letby inquiry and the NHS failings identified by Lady Justice Thirlwall, the inquiry found serious failures in governance, leadership and safeguarding, as well as missed opportunities to act on concerns and protect babies from harm.

Now, Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced urgent work to develop plans for CCTV, including so-called ‘cot cams’, in neonatal settings. For parents, it raises a very practical question: what exactly is a cot cam, and what could having cameras in neonatal units mean for babies and their families?

What is a cot cam?

In this context, ‘cot cam’ is the term being used by the government for cameras that could form part of CCTV arrangements in neonatal settings, where premature or unwell newborn babies receive specialist hospital care.

The government says the aim would be to improve safety and provide reassurance to parents.

Importantly, this is not an announcement that cameras are about to appear beside every neonatal cot. The government says it has launched urgent work to “develop plans” for CCTV, including cot cams, while it considers the Thirlwall Inquiry’s recommendations in full.

That means details parents are likely to want to know, including exactly where cameras could be positioned, when they would record, who could see footage and how recordings would be stored, have not yet been set out.

What to see more MadeForMums in your search results? Tell Google!

From parenting news to expert advice and trusted product recommendations, make sure you don't miss the MadeForMums content that matters to your family. Add MadeForMums as a Preferred Source on Google.

Why are cot cams being considered after the Lucy Letby inquiry?

The announcement comes directly after the publication of the Thirlwall Inquiry’s final report into events at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

According to the Department of Health and Social Care, the inquiry found serious failures in governance, leadership and safeguarding and identified opportunities that were missed to act on concerns and protect babies.

Announcing the government's response, Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper apologised to the affected families.

The suffering endured by these babies and their families is impossible to comprehend.

Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper

Cooper also told Parliament that further action was needed, while acknowledging that changes had already taken place since the events examined by the inquiry.

“The inquiry recognises that in many areas things have changed since these terrible events took place, including welcome improvements at the Countess in services for women and children.”

Will parents be able to watch their baby on a cot cam?

This hasn't been confirmed.

The government specifically says its work will look at CCTV, “including ‘cot cams’”, to improve safety and provide reassurance to parents, but it has not yet provided details about how the technology would work.

For now, parents shouldn't assume that a cot cam would work like a baby monitor or nursery camera at home, or that families would automatically have access to a live feed.

Questions around parental access, privacy, consent, data protection, recording and how footage could be used will need to be addressed as the plans are developed.

When could cot cams be introduced in neonatal units?

There is currently no confirmed rollout date.

The government says work on the plans is urgent, but it is still considering the Thirlwall Inquiry’s recommendations and will publish a full response once that process is complete.

Cot cams are also only one part of a wider package of measures announced following the inquiry.

These include:

New guidance on the safe use and storage of insulin
Stronger guidance for medical examiners reviewing neonatal deaths
Plans to regulate NHS managers, including a barring scheme for senior leaders who fail in their responsibilities
Continued implementation of the National Bereavement Care Pathway for families experiencing neonatal loss
A single tracker to monitor recommendations from major maternity and neonatal reviews and inquiries

What else is changing in maternity and neonatal care?

The announcement comes alongside wider government work on maternity and neonatal safety.

Cooper has said safeguarding will be placed at the centre of the forthcoming Babies, Children and Young People’s Modern Service Framework.

She has also chaired her first meeting of the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which is expected to turn recommendations from the Ockenden and Amos reviews into an action plan for transforming care. The government says that plan will be published this year.

For parents whose babies are currently receiving neonatal care, the key point is that cot cams remain a proposal under development, rather than a confirmed change across neonatal units.

More details on how the cameras could work, including the privacy, recording and access arrangements that will matter to families, are expected as the government develops its plans and publishes its full response to the Thirlwall Inquiry.

Read more:

Authors

Ruairidh PritchardDigital Growth Lead

Ruairidh is the Digital Lead on MadeForMums. He works with a team of fantastically talented content creators and subject-matter experts on MadeForMums.